


Lines of Destiny: Destiny's Intersection

by Shareon



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Ranma 1/2
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-12
Updated: 2012-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:34:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 143,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24991609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shareon/pseuds/Shareon
Summary: Fallout from Sailor Terra's awakening continues as the lines of destiny draw to their inevitable conclusion. (A conclusion to "Lines of Destiny" by L. Giroux, a crossover between "Ranma 1/2" and "Sailor Moon." Instructions to find "Lines of Destiny" included in the Author's Preface, and the original outline is included after the last chapter.)
Kudos: 3





	1. Preface and Chapter 13

Title: Lines of Destiny - Destiny's Intersection

Author: Shareon

Summary: Fallout from Sailor Terra's awakening continues as the lines of destiny draw to their inevitable conclusion. (A conclusion to "Lines of Destiny" by L. Giroux, a crossover between "Ranma 1/2" and "Sailor Moon." Instructions to find "Lines of Destiny" included in the Author's Preface, and the original outline is included after the last chapter.)

* * *

Author's Preface: I dislike prefaces, but the circumstances behind this story are special enough to warrant an explanation.

This is a continuation of "Lines of Destiny" by L. Giroux, a Ranma 1/2 and Sailor Moon crossover. "Lines of Destiny" was very possibly the story which launched that particular genre of fanfiction way back when in history, but even if it wasn't the very first such crossover ever, it was definitely one of the earlier and one of the better ones. Unfortunately it has long since been abandoned.

For a long time I've wondered how the rest of the story would play out if it had been finished, especially because I received a copy of the original author's outline which contained several interesting ideas. So I thought I would take it upon myself to finish it. For those interested, I've included a copy of that outline after the last chapter of this story, although it obviously includes massive spoilers for this continuation, so use your discretion in reading it.

When I had started this project I actually didn't have official permission from L. Giroux to write this. Since that time, with the assistance of a very helpful reader, I have since been contacted by somebody claiming to be (and who I have no reason to doubt is) the original author. That person has given official blessing to release it. I have also gotten permission from Konsaki, the author of "Fated Pasts, Chaotic Future," which is a rewrite of "Lines of Destiny."

I have not actually read "Fated Pasts, Chaotic Future." However I am basing this story off of the outline I mentioned earlier, so depending on what direction and how far Konsaki got in that rewrite there may be some overlap. Given how in correspondence with Konsaki, he/she mentioned how my writing this would be okay as it would be like a stream forking in the forest with a similar source but different paths, I suspect there may not be too much overlap.

Unlike "Fated Pasts, Chaotic Future," I am not rewriting the entire story. That would take far too much time, and I'm personally more interested in what happened after L. Giroux left off. I'm also not re-posting the original "Lines of Destiny" as doing so would be against the content guidelines for this site. Fortunately the story is still accessible online. If I ever find out that "Lines of Destiny" has entirely disappeared from the Internet I may try to contact a site administrator again to find out what, if anything, could be done in that case.

If you are looking for the original "Lines of Destiny," the best way to do so would be to search on a popular search engine for the "Internet Archive" and once there, find at the history of the address the original story was previously hosted at: "http(colon)(slash)(slash)www(dot)anime(dot)sobhrach(dot)com(slash)~dragon(slash)lines(slash)lines(dot)html". The reason I'm being a bit indirect with these instructions is that this site also automatically filters out addresses, even dead ones like the one above. Incidentally, if anybody knows the official policy on this site in regard to re-posting that work, which I didn't write, under my account name here, please let me know.

Regardless of how you find it, though, you will need to have read "Lines of Destiny" for what follows to make sense. There is a reason I'm starting on chapter 13 rather than chapter 1.

Finally, as I said earlier, this is something of a fanfiction of a fanfiction. As such I am considering "Lines of Destiny" to be canon in addition to the Sailor Moon and Ranma 1/2 universes, with one caveat. The Internet Archive version of "Lines of Destiny" includes a prologue of a revised version of "Lines of Destiny" which was written approximately three years after chapter 12 was released. Seeing how the file name of that prologue does not match the naming convention of the other chapters, seeing the how text on that page has the prologue in a separate section than the others and emphasizes that the "Lines of Destiny" which had been released thus far was the "OLD VERSION," and given the timeline involved, I am interpreting the prologue as the introduction of a never released rewrite of "Lines of Destiny" with a substantially different focus and plot. As such I am not considering the prologue in the same universe as the other chapters, and thus not canon for purposes of this continuation.

With all of that said, let's see if we can finally finish this story.

* * *

Chapter 13:

The people of Juuban were well versed in how to handle monsters. It was simple, be it daemon, youma, alien, or whatever else. Monster shows up; people make themselves scarce. They run away doubly quickly if the Sailor Senshi showed up as well and blasts of magic started flying through the air. The fact that this most recent monster was a demon made no difference. By the time that the battle was over the bustling center of commerce and social activity that had been the mall had been transformed into a desolate battlefield.

There was a good reason that people of Juuban were so well versed. The mall was a complete mess, looking appropriately enough like several major earthquakes had hit it. Multiple walls had large holes in them where Mordecai, Ranma, or Sailor Terra had been knocked bodily through them, and more than one store would be claiming insurance for supernatural damages today. It was just another aspect of life that those who lived in Juuban had grown accustomed to.

In the center of all the destruction the dark-skirted Sailor Pluto was pointing her staff at a crater of gravel, beneath which the battered body of the Arch-Demon Mordecai was quickly dematerializing.

Sailor Uranus, one of the six visible people still remaining in the mall, was shocked by what she had seen. She could count on two hands the number of times Sailor Pluto had actually joined combat personally, and never before had she attacked with the obvious malice she had just exhibited. On the other hand Setsuna had surprised her and Michiru earlier with the amount of emotion she had shown in regard to Ranma, and that thing had just hurt Sailor Terra as badly as any of the Sailor Senshi had been injured in the past without being outright killed.

A quick glance around found Sailor Terra currently being healed by Sailor Saturn. That was a relief to Sailor Uranus. Under Sailor Saturn's care she was sure that her unwilling but potential new ally would live, no matter how grievous her injuries were.

With that issue well in hand Sailor Uranus turned back to Sailor Pluto, the clench of hope, fear, and anxiety gripping her. Far different than the adrenaline-filled fear of combat which demanded action, any action no matter how foolhardy it might be, the fear of the unknown told her to stop, wait, think things through. Sailor Pluto had said she was going to check the Gates of Time to discover more about what had happened to Michiru, and Sailor Uranus was eager to find out that everything had been a big misunderstanding and her lover could be cured posthaste.

She cast a quick glance at Sailor Neptune, waiting for her to approach the Guardian of Time and discover her fate. It was her right and her responsibility to find out. But Sailor Neptune wasn't moving.

As the seconds passed Sailor Uranus became increasingly convinced that Sailor Neptune wasn't going to actually ask the question she knew had to be forefront in her mind. She was about to relieve her lover of that burden by stepping forward and asking the question herself when the moment was lost.

"You're Pluto, aren't you?" a figure declared as much as asked as it approached Sailor Pluto. It took a second for Sailor Uranus to recognize, but it quickly resolved itself into the untransformed figure of Akane.

"Yes I am," Sailor Pluto answered. She had relaxed her stance from when she had destroyed the Arch-Demon. Her face now held an impassive mask on it.

"I thought so. You haven't changed a bit since the Silver Millennium," Akane said, easily making herself heard over the faint and distant sirens promising the approach of emergency personnel.

"Thank you. I'm sorry I can't say the same for you," Sailor Pluto responded with a half-smile. It was impossible to tell if she was being facetious or not.

"I have some questions for you," Akane declared.

"You're welcome to ask, although I might not answer," Sailor Pluto said.

"You know what happened yesterday, right?" Akane asked directly.

"What do you mean? A lot of things happened yesterday," Sailor Pluto asked back.

"I'm starting to remember why Kanma didn't like you very much in the past," Akane softly muttered to herself. If Sailor Pluto heard her she gave no indication. Then in a louder voice she said, "I mean about my husband."

"What about him?" Sailor Pluto asked.

Akane pressed on, asking "You know about his curse right?"

"I know that he transforms into a woman with cold water, if that is what you're referring to," Sailor Pluto said.

"Right, his curse," Akane agreed. "Yesterday at the shrine, there was a cure for it, but there was a problem and it ended up splashing Kaioh-san and cursing her instead of curing Ranma."

"I know of the events you describe," Sailor Pluto said.

"Can you go back and fix it, so Ranma gets the cure instead of Kaioh-san?" Akane asked.

Sailor Uranus held her breath waiting for a reply. While it was true that Setsuna had denied their request earlier today, she had also visited the Gates of Time since then. There was always a chance that she had seen something to make her change her mind. Her hands clenched themselves into fists in nervousness for the reply.

"No," Sailor Pluto said.

The simple word dashed away that fleeting chance. Sailor Uranus noticed tears quietly start to fall from her partner's eyes and moved closer, holding her dear.

"Why not?" Akane asked, visibly trying to control her anger. "My husband gets cured. Your teammate avoids getting cursed. Why can't you do this?"

"I've already spoken with my teammates, but I'll tell you the same thing I told them. It only concerns a few people, and you're not one of them," Sailor Pluto calmly answered.

"What do you mean I'm not one of them? My husband is lying there," Akane pointed at the battered form of Sailor Terra, still being healed by Sailor Saturn, "practically killed by that thing, and you're saying that this doesn't concern me?" She was shouting now, and at a volume loud enough that Sailor Uranus wouldn't have been surprised if people even outside the building could hear it.

"I can't help you, and I can't explain why I can't help you. All I'll tell you is that there are bigger things in motion here, and Saotome-san was not destined to get in contact with that Nannichuan water," Sailor Pluto said. Her calm voice stood in stark contrast with Akane's angry shouting, making it difficult to hear her over the rapidly approaching sirens

"Are you trying to tell me that he has to be cursed? What does it matter except for his life and Kaioh-san's life if they are cursed or not?" Akane continued to yell in accusation.

"It's exactly like I said. There are bigger things in motion now, and I can't help you," Sailor Pluto said, emphasizing the last four words.

Sailor Uranus expected Sailor Pluto to repeat what she had told her and Michiru earlier about the designs of Jusenkyo and how little knowledge and control she supposedly had, but Sailor Pluto didn't.

"Of course. Far be it for the great Sailor Pluto, the Guardian of Time, to go and make a minor change to help everybody. There are bigger things in motion now. It's just too much work for her isn't it?" Akane mocked. "In fact, you were probably involved with making sure the cure was ruined in the first place, weren't you? That's right. It all makes sense now, doesn't it? You probably set the whole thing up just to make sure Ranma wouldn't get that water and Kaioh-san got hit instead! That's why you won't fix things! You don't want to undo all of your hard work!"

Behind Akane, Sailor Uranus gasped. She hadn't really thought that Sailor Pluto would do something so diabolical. However Setsuna had been extremely worried before about the possibility of Ranma being cured, and with her access to the Gates of Time she could have done exactly what Akane was accusing her of.

As quickly as the idea formed in her mind she shouted it down. Setsuna had shown absolutely no idea what was wrong when she had come home yesterday. More importantly, Michiru was part of her team, and moreover was her friend. Haruka knew better than anybody that Setsuna, and indeed all of the Sailor Senshi, stood up for their friends, no matter what. Even to the death. More than just words, they had actually proved that in the past.

"I had nothing to do with what happened yesterday. Like I said twice now, there is more going on than you realize and I cannot interfere. You can choose not to believe me if you want. However, I see Terra there is well enough to be safely moved, and the police are on their way. I would suggest we leave before they arrive," Sailor Pluto concluded. Not waiting for an answer she started to walk off. As she did so, she said over her shoulder, "By the way, you really should transform yourself before talking to the Sailor Senshi. You never know who might be listening in, and it wouldn't do for your relationship to us to be found out."

"Wait! We aren't done here! You haven't..." Akane shouted, but she was interrupted by Sailor Uranus grabbing her arm.

"She's right, we have to leave. We'll meet up at the shrine. Come on, I think they'll need help to move," Sailor Uranus said.

So saying, Sailor Uranus went over and picked up the still battered but no longer in critical condition Sailor Terra.

Sailor Neptune had wiped away her tears and helped Tuxedo Kamen to his feet, letting him lean on her. Healing Sailor Terra and then facing the onslaught of the Arch-Demon earlier had left him absolutely drained and it was quite obvious any adrenaline rush he had been experiencing was long over by now.

Sailor Saturn was able to climb to her feet herself, but the effort spent healing Sailor Terra had taken an obvious toll, so Akane went over to help her former and rediscovered sister.

* * *

As the seven people departed from the mall, a hidden and unnoticed Happosai silently watched them leave. He would give them several minutes head-start before leaving in an entirely different direction. Avoiding any emergency service personnel who entered the mall would be trivial for him, and he didn't want to take any chances of being discovered by any of the people he had just overheard. Besides that he had a lot to think about, what with processing what he had just learned and contemplating what his next steps could be in light of this new information.

* * *

Ranma snapped to attention and found himself in a scenic countryside valley, complete with grassy hills in the background and some picturesque pools in front. It was a place he knew all too well. Jusenkyo.

It looked different than he remembered it. Most of the bamboo stalks in the pools were broken and many of the pools themselves were dark. Some even had a red tinge which could have been blood. The sky was covered with ominous dark clouds, although a blue sky could be seen peeking through at points.

He wasn't sure how long he had been standing in a daze before he had come to himself. Maybe seconds. Maybe hours. All he remembered was defeating Mordecai with the help of Sailor Uranus's power and then falling in a painful slump over what had been left of Mordecai's body. After that it was all hazy until he realized that he was in this valley.

Given his recent history and the fact that he was no longer female, let alone Sailor Terra, Ranma guessed that this was a dream. That meant that most likely Akana would be around here somewhere. Maybe she was even over the strangeness of their last dream meeting.

He looked around and quickly spotted the girl standing in a pool, holding one of the broken bamboo stalks for support while she wiped down her arms. With sudden recognition Ranma realized it wasn't just a pool; it was the pool. The pool where he, or rather she, had drowned 8000 years ago. The pool where his life had taken its horrible turn two years ago. Nyannichuan.

"This was the last place I saw Kanma alive," Akana said, her voice full of emotion. She didn't even look up.

"This was the last place for lots of things," Ranma agreed, half-averting his eyes to give Akana a modicum of privacy. "Pools of Sorrow, indeed."

Both Akana and Ranma were silent after this as Akana kept washing herself in the pool, each lost in thought.

"Is that really safe?" Ranma finally asked in concern, keeping his distance from the pools.

"Of course it is. It's just a dream after all. It's not like it can curse you. See?" Akana splashed some water from a side pool onto Ranma. "It's not like you're going to turn into a spider or anything now."

"Gee, thanks," said the now wet martial artist. It also meant that he couldn't use it to cure his curse. So much for that idea. "Can you put some clothes on? It's embarrassing to talk to you like this."

"Why? It's not like you haven't seen this before countless of times," Akana teased him, striking a pose. Ranma still kept his eyes semi-averted.

"Spoilsport. You're no fun," Akana said. She did do as he asked, though, and climbed out of the pool. The next thing Ranma knew she was wearing a flowing cerulean and caramel dress. One of the formal dresses of the Terran royal family his memories automatically told him.

Now that Ranma could take a closer look at Akana he noticed something he hadn't seen before. He asked, "What's going on with you? You look a little faded."

"So you noticed too? I think I'm disappearing. I hadn't fully put myself back together last time, and that battle with Mordecai drained a lot of our energy and almost killed us. I don't think I'll be able to last much longer. I mean just look at this place. It's a mess. Even Endymion's link is weak," Akana said, gesturing towards the sky where only a couple of rays of sunlight were peeking through the clouds.

"Why the face?" Akana asked, responding to Ranma's reaction. "I told you last time that I was probably going to disappear at some point, although I'll admit I didn't think it would be quite this early. Don't tell me you're going to miss me?"

Now that he was paying attention, Ranma could actually see Akana slowly, very slowly, fading away.

"Of course not. It's great news. You've been nothing but trouble. This whole Sailor Senshi thing is a nightmare I can't wait to get rid of," Ranma said. His dour face stood in stark contrast to his words.

"You shouldn't lie. I can tell you know," Akana chastised him with a sad smile. "Don't worry, I'll always be a part of you, even if you can't talk to me anymore. We are the same person after all. But thank you. I know it hasn't been easy for you, but I'm glad to be free of that accursed spring and that our soul is no longer fragmented."

The conversation faltered again as the pair of them once again fell into some quiet contemplation about what could have been and what actually was.

"By the way," Ranma asked, eager again to break the silence that fell between them in what might be their last conversation, "what was that thing that Mamoru did earlier. He somehow healed my arms."

"I don't know. Maybe he's remembering some Psi-Techs from the past as well. That was one of the techniques we figured out earlier in our development," Akana said.

Memories of scraping her knee after a particularly bad trip. Crying. Endymion reaching out. A flare of energy. Her suddenly feeling better.

Akana caught Ranma's frown at her answer and said, "It's not like I have all the answers. I only know more about the past than you do, and I'm not even sure that's true anymore."

"So you don't know what the story is with Kaioh getting cursed?" Ranma asked. He had been hoping that she would be able to shed some light on the matter.

"I'm not sure. We didn't know anything about Jusenkyo in the past or I would have listened to Kanma and never entered that accursed valley. For that matter I doubt Nephrite would have dumped our body in one of the pools if he had known about it either," Akana said bitterly. The pain of betrayal hadn't faded in the least over the past 8000 years, and the tone came through clearly.

Ranma continued his original train of thought by saying, "It's funny, though. Of all the people it could have landed on, Kaioh is probably the worst one. Akane would have been upset but at least it would have made us match in some sense, and from what I can tell Tenoh wouldn't have had much of a problem. It probably would have helped Luna and Artemis," Ranma flinched twice mentioning their names, "being able to take on a human form if need be, and of course Mamoru would have been unaffected."

"Actually it could have been worse. It could have landed on the Princess. Kaioh-san has Tenoh-san to support her too. If it had happened to somebody like our cousin then she would have had to explain it to her family and then worry about how any future boyfriends would take it. I'm sure you know how hard it is to find somebody who can accept the curse," Akana said.

Ranma did get a bit of a warm glow at the thought of Rei having to deal with a curse of her own after she had accusingly asked him what was so bad about turning into a girl, but then guilty quashed that thought. He wouldn't wish a curse upon anybody, no matter how non-understanding they seemed on the surface.

"Still, it's strange, though," Akana continued. Her voice was starting to fade away at this point, matching her semi-translucent body. "Azalene probably would have sought out a curse like this back in her old life. I guess a lot of things have changed with everybody's reincarnation, and past lives aren't a good reflection of how things are in the present."

"Except Neptune and Uranus still got together. Some things never change," Ranma answered.

"Unlike us and Kanma," Akana said under her breath. Ranma knew that Akana still thought that Akane was Kanma, but appreciated the fact that she didn't actually say it out loud, given his thoughts on the matter. She continued in a louder, albeit fading, tone, "A good thing for her, too. Kaioh-san is going to need all the support she can get. Not only from Tenoh-san, but from Saturn and Pluto too, whoever they are."

"Where is Pluto anyway?" Ranma asked. "As I remember she watched things from the Gates of Time. Why didn't she stop this before it happened? Why doesn't she go back and stop all of this?"

"Well Pluto was always forbidden from actually interfering with the timeline. It's part of the responsibility of being the guardian of the Gates of Time. Even her existence was a state secret, although that didn't stop all of the rumors. I don't think she could help even if she wanted to, despite what all those conspiracy theories said," Akana said.

"Yeah," Ranma agreed. "It always did seem like she was the recipient of some of the worst rumors. I can't believe that some people actually thought she was behind Nemesis and the asteroid belt."

"People just fear those with power. Just look at the rumors they said about Serenity, and there is no way she would willingly hurt anybody. If you consider that many people actually think that Pluto has even more power than Serenity with the Gates of Time, it's not surprising some of the nasty things they said about her behind closed doors. It didn't help that Pluto was always so reclusive too. Did anybody ever meet her?" Akana said.

"I don't know. I don't think so, although Yonagi met a mysterious person claiming to represent Pluto several times. For that matter, so did the other Sailor Senshi, Endymion, and, of course, Serenity," Ranma said.

"Never us, though," Akana said. "I wonder why we were left out."

A bright shaft of light pierced down from the sky, interrupting their conversation. Both Ranma and the ghostly remains of Akana turned towards the intrusion. It burned through the clouds, leaving plain blue sky behind it. Everywhere it touched showed signs of revitalization. Brown grass turned a lush green, dark red pools turned clear, and bamboo stalks repaired to a whole state in its wake.

"What's that?" Ranma asked.

"I'd guess that that's Saturn healing us," Akana answered. "See? Everything it touches seems so much better. Even the link to Endymion is strengthening, even if it seems like he's kind of exhausted."

The sky was mostly clear now and the sun Ranma had come to associate with Mamoru shined clearly but with a muted cold paleness it hadn't exhibited last time he had dreamed of it in the setting of the Tendo Dojo.

"I think it's time for me to go. Goodbye Ranma. Be sure to take care of Akane, she really does love you, you know? Don't let the possibility of Kanma's being reborn ruin things with her. That was another life. Also give Mamoru a chance, for me. He deserves better than this. More importantly, you deserve better than this too," Akana said. She gave Ranma a gentle kiss on the cheek and stepped away again.

Then, without a backwards glance, Akana turned and starting running towards the pools, displaying amazing grace and agility despite the ornate dress she wore. She took a running leap and dived elegantly into the Nyannichuan pool. Just as the last of her feet disappeared the large shaft of light struck it. The broken bamboo stalk Akana had been holding when Ranma had seen her earlier reformed into its full size, and then the beam of light moved on.

Ranma cautiously approached the Nyannichuan pool, being careful not to fall into any other pools just in case. They might not be cursed, but still he didn't want to fall in and get soaked. As he approached, the water's surface remained still and motionless.

Finally he reached the pool and looked in.

It was empty.

"Goodbye, Akana," he whispered.

He fought back the tears threatening to come to his eyes.

She was just his cursed form, he told himself. She was the source of all of his problems for the past two years. She was the cause of his current predicament with the Sailor Senshi. In fact she was already long dead, 8000 years ago.

He wouldn't cry for her. He wouldn't.

* * *

Sailor Terra woke up, tears quietly leaking from her eyes.

A quick glance around told her she was back at the Hikawa Shrine. She was surrounded by several of the Sailor Senshi. Sailor Saturn was currently next to her, hands outstretched for the healing she was still performing. Behind her were Sailor Mars, Sailor Venus, and that strange woman in Saturnian Guard armor. To Sailor Terra's left were Sailor Uranus, Sailor Neptune, and Tuxedo Kamen. 

Sailor Terra reached up with her gloved hand and wiped the tears away from her face.

Sailor Saturn noticed her movement and said, "I'll be finished healing you in a second. Be careful. You took a lot of damage. You'll probably still be a bit sore for a while even after I'm done."

"I feel fine. Thanks," Sailor Terra said, waving Sailor Saturn away. She could see the beginnings of exhaustion marking her face.

"Still think you don't need any help?" Sailor Mars asked. Her voice could have been considered accusative if not for the obvious concern in it.

Sailor Terra gave a small laugh. She declared confidently, "I beat it, didn't I?"

"Yes, with some help," Sailor Uranus added.

"Some help," Sailor Terra repeated mockingly. "You and Neptune could barely hit that guy, and Tuxedo Kamen didn't do that much either."

"We distracted that creature and saved you. Twice. You didn't even finish it off. It survived your attack. It was Pluto who really killed it for good," Sailor Uranus retorted harshly.

"I'd have found a way. I don't lose," Sailor Terra said. Upon further reflection, she qualified that statement, "At least not when it really matters. Why can't you leave me alone? It's what the Princess said, remember?"

"You can't be serious. What did you expect us to do? Save everybody else, but leave one of our own to be killed right in front of us?" Sailor Uranus asked exasperated. "What about Tuxedo Kamen? Should he just let his sister die right in front of his face? What do you take us for?"

"Sister? See, that's what I mean. You still think I'm just some frilly little princess who was reincarnated, happy to play dress up and prance around in a short skirt. Well I'm nobody's sister, and I'm not who you think I am. Do you know how much trouble this curse," Sailor Terra emphasized that word as she sat up, "has caused me?"

"But you are his sister. Maybe not his sister now, but you used to be. Didn't you say it yourself? Akana was your past life? Your soul was reunited at Jusenkyo? Why can't you just accept that? Remember what grandpa said? What you have isn't a curse. He doesn't know anything about the Sailor Senshi but even he can tell that this was meant to be," Sailor Mars said.

"Then I suppose you're all happy for Azalene aren't you?" Sailor Terra accused, biting out the name harshly.

Sailor Saturn gasped at the accusation.

Sailor Venus turned to Sailor Mars and asked, "Who's Azalene?"

Sailor Mars shrugged her shoulders in response.

Sailor Terra completely ignored the exchange and went on, "After all, everybody knows how much she hated acting like a girl and how much happier she would have been if she had been a boy. I'm sure she's thrilled at the prospect of being a boy now, not having to dress up and attend all those balls. In fact you're probably thinking of staying a boy for good, aren't you? I bet you're so happy now that your wish has finally been fulfilled by getting cursed, Neptune. No wait, I'm sorry, I meant to say getting blessed by that magical wish-granting water."

Sailor Neptune broke down and starting crying again at Sailor Terra's accusations.

Sailor Uranus took Sailor Neptune's hand and hugged her, glaring daggers at Sailor Terra.

Sailor Terra was so caught up in her anger that she didn't even notice.

"That's not the same," Sailor Venus protested. "Neptune..."

"Of course it's the same!" Sailor Terra shouted, interrupting her. "You're all talking about how happy I should be about getting cursed. How thrilled I should be to be one of the chosen ones to be a Sailor Senshi. How ecstatic I should be to be the long-lost sister of the Prince of the Earth. Well why should I? Why do you all feel so sorry for Neptune but expect me love my curse?"

Tuxedo Kamen took her reference to the Prince of Earth as an opportunity to cut in and try to diffuse the situation. "I never said you were my sister. Well, I did, but that was before I knew better. I'm sorry. I'm not, I mean, we're not trying to force you to be anybody you are not. However, that was really uncalled for."

Sailor Terra blinked to herself twice. She felt her anger slowly drain away with Tuxedo Kamen's words, undoubtedly due in no small part to their empathic sibling relationship. As her anger disappeared the haze of rage which had unconsciously covered her vision gradually faded away as well. She looked over and noticed the woman she had been pointing at earlier. Remembering her promise to her mother she swore slightly to herself.

She walked over to the crying Sailor Neptune and put an arm on her back. Then for the second time in as many days, she said, "I'm sorry. I didn't really mean that. I shouldn't have said that. I just meant, I mean that Azalene's gone. You're a different person now. And I'm not Akana. Akana's gone now too, and I'm not her, any more than you are Azalene. But, I mean, you shouldn't have been cursed, and I wouldn't wish that on anybody, and that was wrong of me to say."

Sailor Neptune murmured out some form of apology acceptance.

Sailor Uranus was still glaring at Sailor Terra.

"You're right. I'm sorry as well," Sailor Venus apologized. Her voice sounded small compared to the emotion filled shouting from before. "But that still doesn't explain why you don't want our help."

"You only want to help me because you want me to join your little troop in your big game of save the world. Well I'm not going to, and I don't need your help," Sailor Terra said.

"You're my cousin. I'd help you regardless. We help regular people all the time. Besides, the Princess already promised you that we'd leave you alone if you want us to, and don't tell me you don't trust her. So what's the real reason? What are you so afraid of? Why won't you admit you need help?" Sailor Mars asked.

"I already told you, I'm the best. I don't need any help. I know how this goes. It's happened enough times before. Somebody finds some a magic ladle, or a wishing sword, or a treasure map, or a damned eight-headed dragon. Then sooner or later Akane gets kidnapped and we have to go on a big death-defying adventure to save her. Well I'm not putting her through that again, I promised her that, and if I get involved with you then that's exactly what's going to happen," Sailor Terra said.

"So the only reason is her then?" Sailor Mars asked.

"She doesn't know anything about this and that's exactly how it's going to stay. If you start showing up all the time, how long do you think it will be before Akane puts two and two together? It took a long time to get over that fiancee mess in Nerima and I'm not starting it up again by running around with a bunch of girls. She's too important to me for that and I'm not letting this get in the way of our marriage," Sailor Terra insisted.

"What if she were already involved?" the woman in the Saturnian Guard armor asked, stepping forward. "What if she thought you should help them? Then what would you do?"

Sailor Terra gave derisive laugh, and then scoffed, "Yeah right. I know Akane. She always hated all of the strangeness in my life, in our life, since I showed up at her house. I should know. She blamed me enough times for it," Sailor Terra said, rubbing her head in phantom pain and completely missing the look on the woman's face. "There's no way she would be involved with any of this."

The woman gave a small sigh and then de-transformed out of the armor, taking the civilian form of Akane. The woman said, "Well, I think you should help them, Ranma. While I appreciate what you were saying, I can take care of myself, and helping them is the right thing to do."

Sailor Terra gasped and was left speechless for a second. Then she said, "That's just sick. You'd go that far? Imitating Akane just to try and get me to help? Who are you, really?"

"I am Akane," the Akane lookalike insisted.

Sailor Terra thought back to what Akana had suggested about how Saturn Knight might have been Akane, but she still didn't want to believe it. "No way you're Akane. She doesn't know anything about any of this," Sailor Terra said.

"What do you want me to do, hit you on the head with a mallet to prove it?" the woman asked, pulling out a mallet as she said this. She had an impish smile on her face.

Sailor Terra turned to Sailor Mars and said, "What did you do to her? There's no way Akane would be like this."

It was Akane who answered, "They didn't do anything to me. Actually I'm a reincarnation too it seems. Strange, isn't it? Me, of all people."

"In fact she's my brother. Sister now," Sailor Saturn added. 

"That's right. You see I'm already involved so you should take their help. Happosai was never an easy person to deal with, and it seems like he's even more out of control now. We need all the help we can get, and I don't see why we shouldn't get their help if they are willing to offer it," Akane said.

"I'll tell you the same thing I told them. I can take care of myself. I've already killed a lot of those demons, or whatever they're called, since coming to Juuban. You'll remember that that was the first thing which greeted us at the train station. I can handle myself," Sailor Terra insisted.

"You're kidding, right? I saw what happened at the mall. You transformed into Sailor Terra, and even then you still almost got killed," Akane said, her tone rising.

"Exactly. Almost got killed. Another monster dead and I win again. Even without this crutch I'd have figured something out," Sailor Terra said arrogantly.

"You're only fine because you were healed twice, both by Tuxedo Kamen and by Sailor Saturn!" Akane shouted back. "Do you know how badly you were hurt, even with their help? You'd be dead now if not for them."

"I've been through worse in the past. Kumon, Taro, and Herb. Even," Sailor Terra hesitated for a second, "Saffron. I beat them all in the end. I managed so far, and I don't see why it can't stay that way."

"Don't go all macho on me. I know what really happened. You beat them, sure, but if you'll recall you had help back then too. Who was it who distracted Taro when he was about to bash your head in? Who held open the crack the Kaisuifuu fell into? Who released the waters of Jusendo? Don't try to tell me you did everything by yourself," Akane challenged.

The other people present looked back and forth between husband and wife, only catching bits and fragments of what they were referring to.

"That's different. Ryouga, Mousse, Cologne, all of them are martial artists. Of course they helped me. I'd have done the same for them. It's not the same with these people," Sailor Terra said, pointing to the people surrounding her. "I'm not getting stuck with them, and I'm not going to take their help."

"Why not?" Akane asked.

"You should know why. I just want to get cured. You know how much I want to get cured, how long I've looked for a cure. You saw how close I was to a cure, if only Happosai hadn't interfered. I just want out of the madness," Sailor Terra said. "I thought you understood. I thought you wanted out too. Isn't that what we kept telling each other? Isn't that what you said after we came here?"

When Akane said nothing, Sailor Terra continued. "What happened? Why do you want me to stay like this? You already have two sisters, why do you need a third one? Who cares? Actually, how long have you known about this? As I recall, it was you who originally suggested Mizuharo University. Don't tell me you knew about this all along? Oh, I can see it all now. Conspiring with them about how to get me here, coincidentally meeting up Mamoru, and the Princess. What about that meeting with Tenoh and Kaioh? Did you call ahead and make sure we'd just happened to meet at that cafe? You probably even tipped off Happosai about the cure. After all you just want me to be part of your happy little family, and I can't do that if I happen to get cured along the way now can I?"

"No, it's nothing like that. How can you say that? I just found out a few days ago about me being Saturn Knight, I swear. I want you to be cured as much as anything. More than anything. You know me better than that," Akane rushed out.

Sailor Terra de-transformed, reverting back to her ordinary female form, and said, "I thought I knew you. Apparently I was wrong. I'm leaving. I'll be moving our stuff to our new apartment. I'm not sure where you'll be, though, and frankly, I don't care."

"Ranma," Tuxedo Kamen started, but Ranma was already leaping away before he could continue.

"Ranma," Akane echoed, reaching out to the rapidly retreating martial artist.

* * *

So Ranma was one of those Sailor Senshi. That answered a lot of Happosai's questions, the foremost one being how Ranma had been able to defeat that first demon. He wasn't too surprised. That boy seemed to attract magic like a magnet. From what Happosai had seen, he wouldn't have been surprised if one day Ranma was kidnapped and ended up on an alien interstellar space ship, or was transformed into a Norse god. Or more likely transformed into a goddess knowing Ranma's luck, he thought to himself with a laugh.

That information didn't help Happosai very much, though. That first demon he had sent after Ranma had been about the strongest demon he could summon safely, using his own loose definition of that word. Mordecai was about the strongest demon he could summon at all. It had almost worked, but Happosai had seen how the boy and his pesky allies had handled him. Ranma had access to some seriously strong magic, and Happosai just didn't know what to do about it.

Deep down Happosai knew Ranma was a better martial artist than himself. He had actually gone to the trouble of naming the boy his official heir to Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu once he died, decades from now if he had any say in the matter. Still it galled him to no end that the boy gave him no respect willingly, and that Happosai couldn't force Ranma to respect him either. A small part of him argued that he had done nothing worthy of respect, but he had long ago learned to ignore that part of himself and paid it no attention.

Happosai just wanted the boy to leave him alone in his harmless pastimes, to prostrate himself on both knees and beg for forgiveness for interfering in the past, and to publicly acknowledge that Happosai was a better fighter than himself and always would be. Was that really too much to ask for?

A more reasonable person would have just given up at this point. A more reasonable person would have realized there was nothing to gain by trying to continue to punish Ranma. A more reasonable person would have realized that befriending Ranma and teaching him directly would have guaranteed the ascendancy of Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu for at least a generation, and probably two more after that.

A more reasonable person didn't run around having fun by groping women and stealing their underwear.

This left Happosai with a problem, namely how to subjugate Ranma. He had done some research about the Sailor Senshi since the time that red-skirted girl had literally lit him on fire, and he couldn't think of anything which could get past them to Ranma and still be able to hurt him, especially if he was a Sailor Senshi himself as well as he apparently was. Forget teaching him a lesson, this was personal pride and revenge now.

He had tried his biggest gun and it had failed. It hadn't been without effect, but still it had failed. Even if he could summon another Arch-Demon, there was no reason to think it would be any more successful than the last one had been. In fact there was every reason to think it would be even less successful, given how good Ranma was at adapting to new enemies.

No. What this required was a whole new strategy.

If summoning a single behemoth didn't work then what other options were there? He could try to swarm Ranma. The boy was more accustomed to fighting one-on-one, and fighting Moose, Ryouga, and Kuno simultaneously had overwhelmed Ranma in the past.

Yes, that was a good idea. Even if the Sailor Senshi were able to handle some demons, if he summoned a lot of them then they wouldn't be able to handle them all. A group would get past them, get to Ranma, and he would have his revenge.

However Happosai didn't have anything like that available. He had several magical scrolls and a few random artifacts, but nothing which could summon a truly large number of demons.

No matter, though. Happosai was the grandmaster of Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu, and Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu prided itself on adaptability and being able to incorporate unrelated aspects together into one cohesive seamless pantheon to achieve success, be it to defeat an enemy, to acquire free food, or to summon a veritable army of monsters to take revenge on an upstart boy.

He'd figure something out. He always did.

* * *

Coming up a plan to enact revenge upon Ranma was the easy part. Actually enacting this revenge was far more difficult for Happosai. It took him several days before he managed to come up with a solution to this particular dilemma.

He knew what he wanted to do. He just didn't have the proper resources. He had only a couple more demon summoning scrolls, not nearly enough to summon the attack swarm he wanted. For that matter, each time in the past he had summoned a demon it had simply glowered over him while he gave his instructions and then bounded off once he was finished. They weren't known for their patience, and he doubted he could actually keep one demon waiting while he summoned more. Likewise he lacked both the knowledge and the power to summon multiple demons in a single shot.

This thought process led him to the solution of summoning a single demon and having that demon in turn summon more demons. A demon would certainly have both the knowledge and capabilities to summon more. Happosai would summon that first demon, use the power the summoning gave over it to have it summon more demons, and then he could order those demons to humiliate Ranma.

His only remaining question was how much of an injury he wanted Ranma to sustain. He wanted Ranma hurt badly enough for it to be a lesson to not cross him, but he didn't want Ranma outright dead or in a position where he couldn't take over the school once he recovered. He only wanted an extremely long recovery, maybe on the order of months to years.

The plan firmly established in his mind, Happosai went through his collection of magical tomes, scrolls, and artifacts to find the most appropriate spell. He then collected the components necessary for the summoning and brought them to the abandoned warehouse he had found earlier which would serve as the staging ground for his grand plan. Once the components were laid out and ready to be used, he started the ceremony.

The first thing Happosai did was draw a glyph on the floor in white chalk. It was identical to the picture in the scroll in his opinion, even if he had to squint a bit to get them to match up just right. True the scroll had said to use the charcoal left from burning a 101 year old elm tree for six hours, but what was one minor compromise? It would work out, he reasoned. It always did.

The next part of the spell called for a blood sacrifice from the caster. Happosai refused to cut himself on general principle. He also didn't plan ahead to bring any animals he could substitute. He looked around trying to scrounge but didn't see any either. What warehouse didn't have any rodents? Thinking quickly he looked through his collection, and ended up pulling out a bottle of sake. Alcohol was a magical fluid, he reasoned, and people who were wounded in battle always liked a stiff drink. It should work well enough.

Happosai checked the next step of the scroll and, carefully following the directions within, he placed a brazier in the center of the glyph and lit it. He then examined the scroll to see what to do next. A mandrake root? Happosai didn't remember seeing that in the ingredient list before. Improvising he placed a very old ginger root on the brazier in the center of the glyph. He had paid a small fortune for the root due to its strong resemblance to a human form. He reasoned that it should make a good enough substitute for mandrake root for the spell he was casting. Just in case, he stuffed a pair of panties into the brazier as well. Panties, he found, made everything better.

With the brazier properly placed and loaded, the instructions next called for him to place some consecrated earth from the graves from his four grandparents in a circle around the glyph on the four cardinal points of the compass. That had been easy. Some dirt from a nearby park, sprinkled with some water from the nearby Shinto shrine, and he was good to go.

Finally Happosai had reached the end of the scroll. None too soon. He was getting bored. The only thing left to do was say the incantation to summon the demon which would create the portal which would act as his vehicle for justice. It was written in ancient Chinese. Luckily Happosai knew Chinese, something he'd picked up from his long studies of ancient martial arts, and could perform this step perfectly. Or almost perfectly. He had to substitute a few Japanese words for the ones he didn't know the Chinese for, but the meaning was clear enough. He'd be done within the minute.

There was a rending of reality in the center of the glyph, as Happosai expected. An impossibly thin absence of reality appeared which was quickly filled like a drain being unplugged. From this gate a man shaped demon appeared. This made Happosai happy. If history was any sort of guide, the more human the thing he summoned looked the stronger it was.

Happosai then noticed that things weren't going quite as expected. Normally after these portals opened to deposit whatever creature he'd summoned they'd disappear back into the nothingness they had sprung forward from. This one just sat there, pulsating slightly. That was even better. He could instruct this demon to go after Ranma immediately and just wait for another demon to appear. No secondary summoning needed.

"I'll bet you're wondering what you're doing here. I've summoned you to take revenge on a student of mine, goes by the name of Ranma Saotome. I want him beaten up, although don't kill him. Do whatever you think is appropriate, but be sure to tell him Happosai sent you. Here's a picture of him as well as some of his hair. You just run off now while I wait here for some of your friends to show up and send them after him too," Happosai instructed.

"No," came the simple reply.

That was unusual. Happosai was used to demons just listening to what he said and doing it. "Okay then, we can wait for some of your friends to show up first and then you can all go together. Probably better that way anyway."

"Nah. It'll probably be several hours before another patrol drops by," the man said.

"Then why don't you go back in there and hurry them along?" Happosai asked impatiently.

"That's a good idea. I suppose I should go back and report, but our energy rations are so short and there's so much to be had here," the man said. His gaze made Happosai feel a bit uncomfortable, like how a tiger might look at an antelope. A large fat antelope. With a broken leg. He started walking towards Happosai. "No, I think I'd rather just get my fill first."

"Excellent, then you will go after Ranma then. He's strong. Lots of energy. I promise you that," Happosai said, taking a step back.

"No," the man said calmly, licking his lips, "I think I'll start with you."

Happosai did what he did best and reacted. He threw several Happo-daikarins at the demon, which exploded right on cue. The man continued walking, seemingly unaffected by the explosions around him.

A thought suddenly struck Happosai. Demons were perfect for fighting Ranma because they were naturally extremely strong, immune to pressure points, and resistant to ki attacks. This had the unfortunate coincidence of also making them perfect for beating up helpless old martial artists like himself. Also, unlike Ranma, he didn't have access to high grade magical attacks or a cadre of friendly magic girls to turn to. He was in trouble.

"Why don't you just stay here then, and I'll see about getting a snack for you," Happosai stammered out. He then turned and leaped to the air trying to escape and get help. Well trying to escape, at least. He'd see about getting help once he got there.

As Happosai leaped to safety, the man leaped after him. He wasn't very fast, but was fast enough to grab the old man in midair.

Throughout his life, Happosai had always been lucky. Incredibly lucky. Countless of times due to fast talking, faster running, and sheer blind luck, Happosai had avoided the worst of his mistakes. Things would just work out, usually to the detriment of those around him, especially if those around him included his students. It had happened when he had summoned Mordecai, whenever Pantyhose Taro came to town, and even when he had escaped being imprisoned by his students in a sealed cave.

Happosai's luck had finally run out.

* * *

Sailor Pluto really had far less power than was commonly understood.

She couldn't actually travel through time, not without causing a major incident and risking the destruction of reality as she knew it. She did occasionally meet up with her future self who would prompt her, and in turn she would pass that prompt on to her past self when the time came, but she was extremely careful in the use of that ability as knowledge of the future could be just as dangerous as physical presence in the past could be. In both sides of those encounters she was always terse and guarded with herself. She knew she would understand, and she always did.

She had a bit more leeway in sending other people through time. They had no way to travel through time themselves and thus they were far less likely to be able to set up an infinite recursion and create a paradox. Even with that safety net, that leeway was only slight. It was still extremely dangerous to allow the past and future to contact directly and she only did so only in very specific circumstances.

Usage of the Gates of Time for information gathering was limited as well. It was true that if she manipulated the Gates of Time she could observe what was currently going on in most places of the world; not all places, but most places. However, that was at most in real time, taking a full second for every second she wanted to observe with no way to catch up to the present time if she had started even slightly in the past. This meant that she couldn't use the Gates of Time to take the last known location of a person and follow them to where they currently were at this exact moment, for example, but it was still a handy ability to have from time to time and it wasn't too complicated.

It was when she tried to view things in the past that things got really tricky really quickly. It was possible, exceptionally difficult but possible, to use the Gates of Time to backtrack from an effect to the causes which made it occur, like taking a watch apart piece by piece to see what made it work. Going the other way, predicting how individual threads of causes interacted with each other to form the tapestry of the world, was as impossible for her to do as it was impossible for her to observe a countless number of iron atoms interacting and figure out that they composed a gear, which interacted with countless other atoms forming other gears and springs, which interacted in unfathomably complex ways to ultimately form a device which told the time, of which the accuracy or inaccuracy could change the course of history.

That was in normal circumstances. This was far from normal circumstances. Unlike normally, when she only had general knowledge and experience to guide her, this time she had literal knowledge to guide her. She actually knew what was going to happen, albeit in a general way.

This wasn't due to her ability to talk to herself through time; she had no insider information about the future as her future self hadn't told her anything specific about the current situation. Instead it had to do with her being Sailor Pluto, or rather at least the events leading up to it. This was infinitely more dangerous than the hints she would give herself from time to time as she couldn't intentionally prevent herself from knowing important aspects of the future. Thus any change or deviation would bring in the strong possibility of paradox.

In many ways it was very appropriate for the life of contradictions which seemed to always surround Sailor Pluto. This knowledge both empowered her as well as critically enfeebled her at the same time for the same reason.

Fortunately she only had vague recollections of the rumors and stories told thousands of years ago. While she knew roughly what was going to happen, it was only as if she had the outline of a foreign translation of the story. The key questions of when and how were left unanswered. However, even that limited information might turn out to be too much.

Who the key actor was in the events which must come to pass she remembered. It was Ranma, primarily. There were a couple of others as well, but Ranma was the one she was most concerned with. With that knowledge it would have been relatively easy for Setsuna to follow him and find out exactly what he was doing, to fill in the gaps as it were. The only problem was if she did that at this point she would be tempting fate and relying on herself to not interfere no matter how much she wanted to.

No, she had managed to make herself scarce for the past few weeks. She could manage a couple more. It wasn't like she didn't have experience avoiding people she had wanted to meet in the past.

Her musing was abruptly interrupted by a pulse across spacetime. Something was wrong. It wasn't a major incursion like during the Black Moon War. If that had been a cannonball then this was more like a shot from a sling, but even a small sling pellet could be dangerous as Goliath found when confronting David.

Unless she missed her guess, that was her cue.

With an ease from long practice Setsuna made sure she was alone, transformed into Sailor Pluto, and vanished to the Gates of Time. Once there it was a simple matter to triangulate the source of the temporal disturbance to a relatively nondescript warehouse in the city. She repositioned her view on the Gates of Time and saw the source. A rift in spacetime connected to who knew where and who knew when.

Wherever and whenever it was connected to there was something serious on the other side of it. It was emitting strong waves of power. Very strong waves. It might even as strong as the Ginzuishou.

Sailor Pluto could easily stop this. She clenched the Garnet Rod ready to open the Gates of Time. A quick talk to herself ten years ago, an anonymous tip to a certain temple that a certain old man was about to burgle it, and this situation would never, could never happen. She knew her past self would do it too if she told her to. Why not? It was herself after all.

Three things prevented Sailor Pluto from this.

The first reason for not interceding was her duty. Her oath. To guard the Gates of Time and to not interfere with the timeline, even she hadn't promised to do so in those specific words. It was such an easy thing to hide behind, duty. She'd kept her oath too. Despite how sorely tempting it had been she had never once broken her pledge. She herself had never broken the pledge.

Then again Happosai had, albeit unknowingly, unleashed a portal which was at least partly temporal in nature, so even a slightly liberal interpretation of the situation would allow her to interfere. No, her oath wasn't why Sailor Pluto didn't intercede.

The second reason for not interceding was her obligation. Her penance. She knew there was a debt to be paid. Paid with interest it seemed now, but paid it must be. Not to Happosai and not to the demon currently toying with him. The debt was to herself, from the past. Never mind she had no idea back then that she had incurred the debt, she knew now and she had to pay it back.

But even that wasn't the real reason she didn't tweak the timeline, to stop the insane martial artist from unleashing this havoc on her friends and family. It helped explain things but it wasn't the real reason in and of itself. In reality Sailor Pluto would have been willing to sacrifice all of her past happiness to save the three of them from the coming suffering if she could. No, that wasn't quite right. To spare just one of them would have been enough.

The third reason, the real reason, for not interceding was fear. By this point, with her knowledge, to interfere would almost certainly lead to a paradox. This was much more terrifying as interfering with causality must inevitably have unexpected consequences, and, given how intrinsically linked she was to the current situation evolving right before her eyes, the risk was simply too high.

It would have been one thing if she knew absolutely nothing, as the uncountable number of blissfully ignorant people did, and thus couldn't rend reality itself apart with a mistaken word or deed, but she did not have the shield of ignorance that they had. A vague outline as it were, but it was still enough. If she did change something, the timeline would be in flux until all paradoxes were resolved. The last time somebody had tried to manipulate the timeline this unknown woman had been eradicated from existence. Sailor Pluto had assumed it was a woman, although she had no reason to think it was a woman, man, or even somebody else entirely outside currently understood genders.

Sailor Pluto had a soft spot for her unknown predecessor. Her actions, and the subsequent paradoxes which led to her disappearance, had paved the way for Sailor Pluto's current life in more ways than one. On the other hand, Sailor Pluto also had a thorough disgust at that unknown woman, as she had laid out the script which Sailor Pluto now needed to follow.

Causality was a harsh mistress. It had already claimed the previous Sailor Pluto as a sacrifice, and doomed herself to a lifetime of sad loneliness. Sailor Pluto wasn't about to pass that sorrow onward, no matter how tempting the fruit of change might be to her. It could make things better, or it could destroy all of reality. Even worse, it could subject another poor girl to a fate even worse than hers. She would endure.

Sailor Pluto never showed her disgust at her predecessor for seeking this change and subjecting her to this life, or herself for having to live this life and not being willing to try and change it. She had a great poker face, even if it did nothing to diminish her self-hatred. She really hated her life sometimes. No, that wasn't completely accurate. She hated her current life sometimes. At least her childhood had been one of love and happiness.

No, she would need to follow the vague outline as best she knew her role to be in this kabuki dance which was unfolding. Still, that didn't make her current inaction any easier.

Sailor Pluto turned her attention back to the people fighting just outside of the portal, or rather to the demon fighting Happosai. Much to Sailor Pluto's satisfaction, the old man was being systematically destroyed by his would-be minion.

She debated going in to help, but decided Happosai didn't deserve it. He was the most evil thing this side of being a youma. For that matter, she wasn't even sure how much good she could do against this demon. She was strong, but on her own it would be dangerous to say the least.

Happosai wasn't important to the timeline either, as far as she knew, which meant she now had a free hand in acting. Now that he had opened the portal he could die right here and now. Nobody would fault her, even in the extremely unlikely event that somebody found out she had let him die. He deserved it, and much more. If she saved him, most likely he would just go on to cause more problems in the future. Problems which the police, Ranma, the Sailor Senshi, or somebody else would need to both bear the brunt of and to clean up after the fact.

Sailor Pluto decided that interfering would not be a wise course of action. The creature was no slouch, and it would be a close fight if she were to engage it. She would win, probably, with the element of surprise on her side, but no reason to put herself at such risk if she could help it. She couldn't rightly say she felt sorry for the old man as he finally got what had been coming to him for years, either. Happosai had avoided facing the consequences for his behavior for long enough, and it was time for it to come full circle.

Within her field of observation Happosai tried launching a lust-based proto-ki-blast at the demon. Without the practice that Ranma and Ryouga had it was laughably weak, and the demon simply batted it aside.

After a few more moments Sailor Pluto swore under her breath. As much as she would have loved to abandon Happosai to his fate, she was a Sailor Senshi. That meant protecting people, even those who didn't deserve it. Especially those who didn't deserve it. The chance of redemption was always present. That's what she had been taught growing up, and it had been proven to her more times than she could count.

Sailor Pluto tried to teleport to the warehouse, but, as she expected, the distortion caused by the rift made such a thing impossible. She instead appeared as close as she safely could, and with a few short bounds made her way into the building.

Inside the demon had lifted its leg to deliver the coup de gras to Happosai as she appeared on the scene. Without pomp, without a loud speech, without flashy movement, and with barely a whisper of "Dead Scream," she launched a blast of energy at the demon, catching it straight in the back and knocking it across the room.

Happosai, who had kept his eyes wide open awaiting his death with all the dignity he could muster, was amazed as he saw the demon fall away from him. It took a few moments to get his bearings before he noticed the tall Sailor Senshi with a long staff and a dark skirt across the room.

It looked like his luck hadn't run out yet.

"If you ever even think to try to do something like this again, I will personally make sure you wish you had died here and now. Now get out of here," Sailor Pluto said with a level tone.

Sailor Pluto watched the old man hobble off as quickly as he could with his broken arm and broken leg. He didn't even try for a quick glomp as he left.

She then turned back to the demon. This would be a hard fight on her own, but she was pretty sure she could handle it. She had to. In his state Happosai would be easy prey for the demon, and if she escaped it would surely go after him to finish the job.

She readied her staff as the demon climbed to its feet, only slightly the worse off for being hit with a Dead Scream.

* * *

Last Updated: January 29, 2020


	2. Chapter 14

Chapter 14:

Ranma sat in his small apartment, biology textbook open in front of him. What he was doing might have come as a surprise to anybody who hadn't actually seen him trying to get into Mizuharo University. He was studying. Nominally.

Despite the lack of distractions which had plagued him back in Nerima, he was finding it hard to actually concentrate on the text in front of him. His eyes would automatically pass through word after word, but when he actually got to the bottom of the page he would realize that he had absorbed absolutely none of the terms or descriptions he had supposedly just read. This was the third time he was going through the same wall of text, trying to let something of the mass of definitions and diagrams actually leave an impression on his racing mind.

Even in the best of times Ranma found studying difficult. He was a martial artist, not a scholar. The only reason he was even getting a degree was to aid in his ability to attract and subsequently teach students. It was a means to an end, rather than an end unto itself of becoming more educated or of getting a degree for its own sake. In this light some of the courses he was taking, such as physiology, were boring but were obviously useful for his future career. Other subjects, such as the current one his eyes refused to focus on, seemed utterly pointless to him.

He hadn't been this frustrated at the pointlessness of studying a boring subject while simultaneously being distracted by other much more important things at hand since the time he had been drilled in the history of the Moon Kingdom over and over while, a kingdom away, Endymion was meeting Serenity for the first time. It had been love at first sight, which was both romantic and exceeding distracting through their empathic bond. He still didn't remember anything about those lessons, and he cared even less about telomeres and their apparent connection to cellular replication limits than he had about the Moon Kingdom's history back at that time.

Ranma shook his head, trying to shake out that memory. Ever since Akana had disappeared, Ranma's access to the memories of his past life as Akana had become much easier to access. They had gotten far too easy to access, in his opinion. The flood of memories was indistinguishable to him when compared to his real memories of his actual life. In his mind's eye everything he remembered were just things he remembered because they had happened to him. The only way he could distinguish between them was by superficial differences. Wearing an ornate dress for a formal reception in honor of the visiting king and queen of Mercury must have been Akana because Mercury didn't have a king or queen in modern times. Taking the train to Juuban must have been his own memory because trains didn't exist during the Silver Millennium.

It was exceedingly annoying. He didn't want to remember playing hide and seek with Endymion and the Guardians in the palace garden, nor did he want to remember the countless diplomatic missions taken to the other kingdoms in the solar system. Ranma wanted nothing more than to get rid of those memories and to be back to normal. He wanted to be rid of them even more than he wanted a cure for Jusenkyo, although he certainly would have taken that too if it were offered as well.

The only silver lining Ranma could think of was that he didn't actually feel any different than he had from before Akana had disappeared and her soul had presumably re-merged with him. He had half-feared that Akana's influences would turn him into some silly little girl, but, as far as he could tell, nothing had substantially changed since then besides having the mass of memories which he now had access to shoved into his head.

It was a shame that none of those memories helped him at all with any of his school work. Even if they did he still wouldn't have wanted them, but at least then they'd have had some use. However, during the Silver Millennium he had never learned anything about any subjects even vaguely similar to things like biology, physiology, or physics, so he didn't have a shortcut of any sort in regard to his current studies. Then again he hadn't been much of a studious student back then either. It had always been so much more fun running around the countryside as Sailor Terra or playing with Endymion or the Guardians rather than being stuck in a dreary room with a tutor.

The Guardians. The mere thought of them still made Ranma angry at their betrayal. He could almost still feel the blade of Zoisite piercing him, even thought it had been another body at another time.

Blinking, Ranma realized that he was at the bottom of the page. The section header suggested that he now knew something about cellular replication, but he couldn't remember a single thing he had read on the subject, despite the fact that he swore he had read every single word on the page. With a mental sigh he once again dragged his eyes to the top of the page and started all over again, trying to concentrate this time. Fourth time's the charm, right?

He knew he could get it eventually. It wasn't like he hadn't studied boring pointless subjects while being distracted before, after all.

In many ways Mizuharo University was like Furinkan High. It had lots of boring subjects which Ranma didn't care about but was forced to study anyway. Unlike his time at Furinkan High, though, most of the distractions which made it almost impossible for him to study were gone. The number of random martial arts challengers and random fiancees appearing had dropped to zero. Then again, he also lacked many of the benefits which helped him to concentrate and learn enough such that he was able to get into Mizuharo University in the first place. In particular, Kasumi was no longer there to help take care of meals and the house, and Akane was no longer there to teasingly prod him to work and to help him when he hit a roadblock.

Akane, there was another thing. Even if she was in different classes, he had assumed that they would still be studying together. They had been doing that when classes had first started, back before all of this mess with the Sailor Senshi had really started. Her presence had always been that little extra nudge he needed to keep himself on track and focused on the task at hand no matter how dull it seemed. That was then. Now when she was in the same room as him she served more as a distraction than anything, more likely to make him angry at her betrayal than to provide any sort of moral or scholastic support.

He had thought he understood Akane, and he had thought that she understood him. That was before everything: before that fight in the temple, before he had transformed into Sailor Terra, before they had come to Juuban.

Now, for some reason Akane wanted Ranma to become Sailor Terra despite the fact he hated the idea of it. Her constant asking, prodding, and suggestions even when Ranma had made it obvious that he didn't want to talk about it and just wanted to be left alone had made Akane's wishes loud and clear. She wanted him to be Sailor Terra as much as he had ever seen her want anything: more than the time with the super soba, more than the time with the battle dogi, more than getting into Mizuharo University.

In that light, the timeline was all too clear to Ranma. Akane had met up with one or more of the Sailor Senshi in the past. Given how much time she seemed to spend with Hotaru, she was likely the first point of contact. He wasn't sure when they had first met, but Akane hadn't seriously started talking about any post-graduation plans until after the first wedding attempt, so it was probably sometime around then. Next she needed a reason to get Ranma to Juuban. That's how Mizuharo University came about. It was conveniently close and wasn't too hard a sell to the rest of her family or himself. Akane's seemingly helpful assistance at the time with his studies fit in with this as well. Once they had gotten accepted to the school she just had to call ahead to arrange the other meetings with the Sailor Senshi in what at the time had seemed like coincidental circumstances.

Not just the Sailor Senshi either. There was Mamoru too.

Mamoru. That was yet another thing. Just by thinking about him Ranma could vaguely tell he was a fair distance away and was with somebody who made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside, probably Usagi.

It was seriously creepy.

It was none of his business what Mamoru was up to, just like it was none of Mamoru's business what he was up to.

Ranma tried his best to suppress that feeling and ignore it, with only modest success. When he concentrated he was able to push out most of the bond that he unwillingly shared with his empathic sibling, but invariably he would forget at some point and it would creep back in. The most insidious thing about the link was that it didn't feel that bad. Sure it made him a bit more sympathetic towards Mamoru, but there was nothing wrong with that. After all, Mamoru hadn't actually meant to cause Ranma any distress and honestly was trying his best to respect Ranma now.

He almost could have believed the feelings he was getting too except he knew better. He had seen, and felt, Mamoru's lack of surprise about Akane being Saturn Knight back at the temple. That was all the proof that Ranma needed. He was sure that Mamoru was in this as deeply into this as any of the others, and probably even more deeply in it given how Ranma was the reincarnation of his dear, precious, long-lost sister. It was enough to make Ranma sick.

Akana had told Ranma to give Mamoru a chance and Ranma had been inclined to do it. It had been her last wish, after all. That was before he had discovered the truth about Mamoru. Given what he knew now, how could he give him a chance anymore? Besides he was sure that if Akana had known what he now knew that she would never have made that request of him. At least he told himself that.

The worst part was that the bond addressed a need which he felt unfulfilled within him. This applied to some extent all of the time, although it was especially true when he forgot to try to intentionally ignore the connection between himself and Mamoru.

Ever since this whole thing had started Ranma had felt alone, like there was nobody on his side. There were Hotaru and the Sailor Senshi, all on Akane's side for obvious reasons. There were the rest of the Tendo family, who were on Akane's side. There was Ryouga, who even if Ranma could find would undoubtedly take Akane's side over his as he always had in the past. There was his father, who given past experience would take Akane's side over Ranma's. The Kunos were all insane, and the Amazons were thankfully long gone. Ukyo was long gone as well. His mother might take his side, but she might also consider even the possibility of his being a Sailor Senshi an affront to his manliness and demand seppuku right on the spot despite having found him adequately manly in the past before circumstances had changed.

Ranma felt like he needed somebody to support him, to be on his side. There just wasn't anybody he could count on. The bond with Mamoru suggested that he might be such a support for him. Even now it was telling him that if he were to just go to Mamoru, talk to him for a bit, things would work themselves out. Things would be okay between them.

That was the realization and reminder that Ranma needed to start actively ignoring the link between them again. With the link muted as best he could, Ranma quashed that impulse to talk to Mamoru again. Mamoru was part of the problem. How would it make any sense to go talk to him?

Blinking, Ranma realized that he was at the bottom of the page. The section header suggested that he now knew something about cellular replication, but he couldn't remember a single thing he had read on the subject, despite the fact that he swore he had read every single word on the page. With a mental sigh he once again dragged his eyes to the top of the page and started all over again, trying to concentrate this time. Fifth time's the charm, right?

At least Akane wasn't around to distract him right now. Ranma wasn't sure whether it was worse for Akane to be around or worse for her to be absent. It many ways it didn't matter. He still got angry whenever he thought about her, regardless of her presence or absence.

Whenever she was around she always pestered him about getting involved with the Sailor Senshi. Even if she were silent, Ranma could feel the tension in the room. Whenever Akane was absent, Ranma was convinced that she was meeting with the Sailor Senshi. He could feel the tension of her absence as she plotted and conspired with Hotaru and the other Sailor Senshi against him.

* * *

Hotaru was sitting on a park bench and happily swinging her legs. She had picked this bench because it allowed an easy view in all directions so she could see any potential eavesdroppers, no matter which direction they came from. More importantly, she could see Akane's approach no matter which direction she came from as well. In her eagerness she didn't even mind frequently turning her head around to check behind her, just in case Akane happened to approach from there. This was their first one-on-one meeting, and Hotaru was very excited.

Bright sunlight streamed down from the clear sky, but those who knew the signs could make out hints of storm clouds ominously gathering in the distance.

Hotaru spotted Akane waving from a distance away as she rapidly approached the giddy young girl. When she got within talking distance, Akane said with a slight frown, "Hello Hotaru-chan. Where are Michiru-san and Haruka-san? I thought they'd be here with you too."

"Michiru-mama and Haruka-papa said they thought we might want to spend some time alone," Hotaru said. In actuality Hotaru had insisted on it. The park was in a safe part of town, and from the meetings her adopted parents had had with Akane they liked her well enough so neither had put up too much of an argument. She then added as potential further explanation, "I think Michiru-mama didn't want to be near that fountain."

Hotaru pointed to the picturesque fountain which dominated the center of the park. It periodically sprayed water upward, inviting to people to come frolic around in it. A few ambitious children had taken it up on the challenge, running around while squealing and splashing each other.

"I can understand that. Water did always have a way of seeking Ranma out too. He'd probably last two minutes here before a freak gust of wind or a rambunctious kid managed to get him wet," Akane said, her eyes smiling in reminiscence as she spoke.

"So how is your husband doing? Is he feeling better? Have you made up with him yet?" Hotaru asked. It had been several days since she had watched Ranma run off at the shrine, followed by a much more somber and melancholy Akane.

"I don't know," she said, clenching her hands for a second before slowly loosening them. "He's been keeping things in. Not sharing them. I think he's still upset. It's like the bad old days after we first met, only this time it's Ranma who keeps blaming me and doesn't trust anything I say. We're drifting apart. I'm scared."

Hotaru didn't know what bad old days Akane was referring to, but given the name she was sure they were not good. She reached over, took her reincarnated sister's hand, and said, "Don't worry. I'm sure it will work itself out in the end. It's like Michiru-mama and Haruka-papa. They fight sometimes too, but they always get back together in the end. You're both from the Silver Millennium too, like they are, so it must be destiny. I hope I have somebody like that too."

"Destiny, huh," Akane said, shaking her head. "I hope not. That would probably just make things worse."

"What do you mean?" Hotaru asked. "If it's destiny then it's destiny. There isn't anything to be scared of. You two will always be together."

"Ranma never did like being told what to do. Me either," Akane said, giving a small laugh at this. "It took us two years to get over that stupid arranged marriage our parents put together. It was only after our parents stopped pressuring us that we actually started to get along. Knowing him, if our being together was destiny, Ranma would probably leave me just to spite it."

"Just like Akana in the past," Hotaru said with a shake of her head. It was terrible to think that, in a bitter twist of irony, the very thing which brought Ranma and Akane together would now be acting to drive them apart.

"I doubt Ranma would like to hear that," Akane said.

"It can't really be that bad, right? He has to love you. He did just marry you after all," Hotaru tried to reassure her.

"I just don't know. You saw him at that last meeting. He really hates the past for some reason. It's more than just the curse. That hasn't bothered him for a while now. Not really bothered him. It's something else," Akane said. She thought in silence for a second, and then added, "Actually I don't even think he likes me meeting with you and Haruka-san and Michiru-san. He hasn't said anything, but he scowls every time it comes up."

"Really? Maybe we shouldn't meet then. I don't want to cause you any problems," Hotaru said with a heavy heart. Her face turned crestfallen at the loss of somebody she could finally talk to, confide in, and just generally be friends with.

"No, I like being with you," Akane said, mussing Hotaru's hair. "Ranma can just learn to deal with it. Besides, he hasn't actually said anything, so I might be jumping to conclusions. But let's talk about something else. How are you? How are classes?"

"Classes are a lot better now," Hotaru answered, trying to comb her hair straight again using her fingers. "I don't think I scare my classmates as much anymore. Last Yuki-chan even invited me to join her for lunch."

That had been a major achievement and she had spent the entire rest of the day with a big grin on her face afterward.

"You don't scare them? What's that supposed to mean? What did you do to them? Is this about that healing thing again?" Akane asked.

"Kind of. It's complicated. The first time I was awakened my memories were a lot fuzzier than now. I had some dreams and visions, but didn't really know what was going on. Then I was also possessed by Mistress 9, which made me really sick all the time and messed up my memories even more. I didn't have very much control over my powers, and I was always sick, so everybody around was always scared of me. I got picked on a lot. I just wanted to be normal," Hotaru said, her breathing turning ragged. The memories were still painful for her and she got scared just thinking about them. She forced herself to take a deep breath to calm down.

Once she had managed to compose herself enough to continue, she said, "But things are a lot better now. I remember a lot more about the past and I'm a lot stronger now. I haven't missed any class at all this year, and I don't have blackouts or anything anymore, so things are a lot better. Like I said, Yuki-chan even invited me to eat lunch with her."

Hotaru was tempted to break out in a big grin again at the memory of that invitation.

"That's great news, Hotaru-chan. I'm sure you'll make lots of new friends," Akane said, reflecting the smile which Hotaru now wore. "It sounds like being a Sailor Senshi is hard."

"It can be hard at times," Hotaru admitted, the grin disappearing from her face again, "but we're fighting for the Princess and for Crystal Tokyo, so it's worth it."

"Crystal Tokyo? What's that?" Akane asked.

"Crystal Tokyo is the vision the Sailor Senshi are all fighting for. It's kind of a perfect future, but it's a lot more than that. The Princess reforms the Moon Kingdom, and there's peace and happiness all over the world," Hotaru explained.

"That sounds kind of strange. Everybody just accepts her rule? That sounds impossible. Not unless somebody were to do something drastic like killing almost everybody in the world or something," Akane declared.

That thought scandalized Hotaru. True she had the power to Silence a planet, but that was an emergency power reserved only for the most dire of dire emergencies, and even then the idea of actually doing it still made her feel a bit queasy. The idea of casually killing people was so alien to her that she wasn't even sure how Akane had made the connection between Crystal Tokyo and the idea of mass genocide in the first place.

She quickly corrected Akane, "No, nothing like that. We'd never let that happen. We'd all die before that, especially the Princess. But you're right. Nobody said it would be easy. It'll be really hard, but we fight for love and justice, and one day I'm sure Usagi will convince everybody and Crystal Tokyo will happen. In the meantime, we help everybody we can to try and make the world a better place."

"By doing things like fighting demons," Akane suggested.

"By doing things like fighting demons, like those attacking your husband," Hotaru agreed. "Why won't he let us help him?" 

"I don't know. I've asked him to let you, but he said he wouldn't. I did everything short of begging him, and he still refused. He won't even tell me why. It's probably some stupid macho male thing. It's like the time he went looking for that Japanese Nannichuan."

"Can he really handle it all by himself?" Hotaru asked.

"If anybody can, he can. That idiot's beaten more crazy martial artists, monsters, ghosts, and even gods than anybody has a right to," Akane said. "I just hope he knows his limits."

"Gods?" Hotaru asked. She would have doubted even the existence of some of the things that Akane was telling her except that she had personally experienced some of them herself. After being possessed by an evil spirit which almost destroyed the world, the idea of gods existing and subsequently being defeated wasn't too unbelievable.

"I probably shouldn't say anything about that. Ranma doesn't like to talk about it and I don't want the story getting out without his say so. He had nightmares for weeks after his fight with Saff... with some of his opponents, and it's really not my place to tell," Akane said.

Hotaru was careful to not react to Akane's slip-up. Instead she put her hand on top of Akane's and said, "I see. It sounds like you and Ranma have had a hard time too."

"Yeah. It's been difficult at times." Akane clenched her free hand. "It was supposed to be better by now, but now Ranma doesn't trust me and we're barely speaking to each other. It's like the bad old days all over again."

"You said that before. What do you mean 'bad old days?'" Hotaru asked.

"When we first met, he walked in on me when I was taking a bath," Akane said, eliciting a gasp from Hotaru. "Then our parents kept going on about how we were engaged and how we had to get married. We didn't exactly get off on the best foot with each other. That was before all of the other fiancees showed up. So many silly fights, and all those accusations," Akane said more to herself than Hotaru.

Hotaru blinked at Akane's explanation, trying to process what she was saying. At the same time Akane seemed to realize where she was and shook her head quickly before saying to Hotaru, "Strange things have always happened around Ranma. He'd get poisoned, or paralyzed, or bribed with some cure, or something else stupid and disappear for a while. I always used to think he was on a date with one of the other girls. Even if he said that wasn't the case I'd never believe him, and then I'd get jealous and yell at him."

"That sounds terrible," Hotaru said. She wasn't sure which was the more terrible, that Ranma constantly got poisoned or paralyzed or what have you, or that Akane would get into fights with him due to those misunderstandings.

"Yes, it was pretty bad at times. I guess what comes around and all of that. Now Ranma doesn't believe me no matter what I say. He isn't yelling at me or hitting me, but..." Akane shook her head again. "I had no idea how hard it was to be telling the truth and not be believed."

Hitting her? Hotaru wasn't sure why Akane not being hit would be worth emphasizing, but didn't pay it too much mind. She just comforted Akane by saying, "Don't worry. You learned the truth eventually right? I'm sure he'll learn eventually too."

"I hope so," Akane said.

"Well if you can't tell me about fighting gods, can you tell me any of the other stuff? I'll bet you didn't tell me the whole story before. You said you fought a bunch of monsters?" Hotaru asked.

"It was more Ranma than me, but I guess I can tell you a bit more," Akane admitted. "But before that, what about Michiru-san and Haruka-san? Are we supposed to meet up with them somewhere? These stories can go on for quite a bit of time."

"Don't worry about Michiru-mama and Haruka-papa. They said they'd come and get me here when they were done," Hotaru said.

"I wonder what they're doing," Akane absently mused.

Hotaru's face briefly took on a slightly concerned look as the thoughts of the problems Michiru was certainly having flashed through her mind. She quickly pushed them to the side as best she could. Michiru was with Haruka, and if anybody could keep Michiru safe it was Haruka.

"I think they're out shopping for clothes for Michiru-mama," Hotaru answered Akane, "but you're avoiding the question. I want to hear some of these stories."

"Okay, okay," Akane said before launching into one of the more fantastical tales Hotaru had ever heard.

* * *

This was a fairly usual position for Michiru and Haruka, them walking in the mall with Haruka helping Michiru carry around several bags of clothing. Michiru occasionally liked to go on major shopping trips and Haruka's presence for them was always appreciated, for her company and opinion, and more importantly for her load-bearing capacity. The only semi-willing blonde pack animal's presence would be especially necessary for trips like this one, where Michiru had bought so much stuff that it literally couldn't be carried by one person alone.

What made this trip unusual was that Michiru was in male form. He was also trailing slightly behind Haruka, almost appearing like he was trying to hide behind the slightly shorter woman.

Michiru was having a terrible time on this trip.

Normally Michiru greatly enjoyed shopping. Normally Michiru was also female. This trip was not normal based on either of those contexts. He didn't even know which stores to go to or what to look for and was forced to rely heavily on Haruka's expert knowledge instead.

The pair had decided that, in light of recent developments, Michiru was going to need an entirely new wardrobe. While in a pinch Michiru in male form could manage to barely force himself into Haruka's clothing, it was far from comfortable. It wasn't very comfortable for his female form either. There was also the sheer practicality of the amount of clothing available too. If Michiru did end up using Haruka's wardrobe on any regular basis there simply wouldn't be enough clothes to go around.

No, the best solution was to simply go on a major shopping spree and get some new clothes. The tricky part would be getting things which would fit a male as well as a female Michiru, both in size as well as in style. That made things much more difficult. Both Michiru and Haruka were starting to understand some of the basic difficulties that Ranma had to deal with on a daily basis. As ashamed as they were to admit it, they had greatly underestimated the amount of trouble in ordinary life that the curse brought about.

They had decided that as they both knew the basic measurements of the female Michiru that he should go out in male form. This presented a whole new set of problems to Michiru, the most significant being sheer embarrassment. He had picked the largest, baggiest shirt and pants he could from Haruka's wardrobe in an attempt to hide how he looked. He'd taken to slouching as well, both to hide his figure as well as to present less of a profile.

All of these efforts to hide himself, some intentional and many unconscious, were more than likely a fool's errand, seeing how he was a little taller than Haruka, who herself was rather tall. He was sure he stood out like a nail which hadn't been hammered quite flush on a piece of wood, and everywhere he went he could feel eyes staring at him. He just knew that everybody knew the truth about him and were whispering behind his back. Twice he had heard somebody laughing from across the store, and both times Michiru swore they were laughing at him.

He had taken to acting as unapproachable as possible. He reasoned that if nobody talked to him then nobody could force him into any embarrassing positions. This was especially important for children. He had a new found fear of children.

An adult would most likely be polite and keep any awkward questions to himself or herself, but who knew what a child would do? It galled him to act this way because Michiru had always enjoyed being around children, but now he lived in perpetual fear that one would point at him and say loudly, "hey mister, why are you acting so funny? Why are you dressed so funny? What's wrong with you?"

Above even that dread was a much worse one: that he'd see somebody he knew. Sure most of the important people already knew about the curse, and sure the chances of somebody who didn't already know seeing him and making the connection to his female form was effectively zero. It didn't matter. Those intellectual arguments did nothing to comfort his primal fear and desire to run away, lock himself in a room, and never come out.

He might have done that too if not for Haruka's presence next to him. She had always had the ability to comfort Michiru and provide a feeling of safety and security. This ability did not diminish in the least when he was in male form. If anything her ability was stronger than ever, although this could have been due to his increased jitters and self-admitted borderline paranoia.

Every time Michiru felt especially bad Haruka would reach over and squeeze his hand, and he would feel just a little bit better. Haruka had even dressed in obviously female, albeit tomboy-ish, clothing just to reduce the chances for awkward situations for the pair. While Haruka didn't despise dressing in female clothing it was definitely not her first choice, and Michiru appreciated the gesture.

They had gone to several stores and bought several sets of fairly androgynous clothing. It was a lucky thing neither of them was short on money, as the total bill for Michiru's new wardrobe was getting to be quite expensive. The outfits they purchased revealed Michiru's male body much more than he would have liked, especially his flat chest and straight waist, but Haruka had insisted that they looked fine, and Michiru had never had a reason to doubt his lover in the past. He wasn't about to start now, even if the mirror insisted that he looked atrocious.

If he did turn into a woman with this clothing on they'd fit, although of course they would be far from flattering. The shirt was too big and bulky, the pants wouldn't be quite right especially around the waist and thighs, and he would need to tuck up all of his cuffs considerably. However at least they would fit both of his forms, in a fashion. The only thing that would be out of place if he did transform would be that the buttons on his shirt and pants would be the wrong style and on the wrong side, but that was so minor that even his hyper-sensitivity didn't worry about that.

What worried him more was the image he would present when he was female. The baggy, misfit, rather masculine clothing would probably make his female form look like some teenager trying to make a fashion statement. True it was better than appearing as a man in a shredded dress in the middle of a crowded shopping mall, but that wasn't a very high benchmark to aim for. Michiru had always preferred the classic elegant look, and the thought of appearing as some rebellious teenager truly galled him.

Still, mission accomplished. Michiru now had an entire wardrobe which, while looking unflattering, would prevent him from being arrested for indecent exposure no matter what form he was in.

He could tell that his lover was exhausted after the entire morning spent shopping. Truth to be told he was quite exhausted as well, more from the constant twitching and emotional distress he felt than from the energy spent walking from store to store. So when Haruka, who'd never been a real big shopper herself, suggested they stop for lunch he reluctantly agreed.

Michiru hated the idea of spending any more time in public then he absolutely had to, especially somewhere like a restaurant where for an extended period of time he would be unable to escape from curious eyes if something happened, and where at least the server would genuinely notice him and try to talk to him as well. However he reasoned he had to get used to it eventually, and it was better to do it now with Haruka at his side than from an accidental splash on his own later. He was rather hungry, too.

When the pair entered the sushi restaurant Haruka led Michiru to, the hostess first addressed the male Michiru, asking him what their preferences for seating was. This caused him to shrink behind Haruka, who saved the day by taking charge and asking for a private booth in a secluded area. That the woman of the pair had taken charge seemed to surprise the hostess, but she kept a straight face as she showed the pair to the requested seating. To his relief, Michiru saw there was plenty of empty space around the booth, preventing any accidental hearing or seeing of himself.

In short order a waitress came by and asked Michiru what the pair would like to eat today, once again causing Michiru to shrink back in self-consciousness. Haruka once again saved the day by calmly saying she was treating her boyfriend, earning a wince from Michiru, and then ordering for the pair.

With the waitress safely away, Michiru leaned in to Haruka, lowered his voice, and asked, "How does Saotome-san stand this?"

Haruka just reached over and held Michiru's hand.

"It's horrible. I feel like... like... everything's just wrong. Like they're all staring at me. And nothing, nothing's right anymore. It's terrible," Michiru stammered out, trying to put his feeling into words.

"Don't worry. I'll always be here for you," Haruka reassured him.

Michiru reached his other hand over and put it on top of Haruka's.

"It's just so scary. Never knowing what's going to happen. I went to a restroom yesterday and forgot. When I tried to wash my hands, I changed," Michiru said. He didn't add how she had been standing besides somebody, who screamed. And kept screaming. And how a crowd appeared and had assumed the worst at a strangely dressed man in the woman's restroom. And how he had had to run for several blocks before finally getting away. And how shaken he had been from the whole experience.

"I can't even go to the restroom in peace. I need to check myself before going in. It's just terrible," Michiru continued. He didn't even feel the tears which had formed and were dripping down his face.

"I'm sorry. If I could take this curse from you I would," Haruka said, squeezing Michiru's hand.

"I know you would. Thank you," Michiru said. "At least I know why Saotome-san acts like he does now. It really is unbearable. I don't blame him at all for wanting to walk away. If I could give up being a Sailor Senshi and get rid of this curse I would too."

"Michiru," Haruka whispered as loudly as she could without drawing attention to their discussion. "You don't really mean that, do you?"

Michiru sighed, and was silent for a moment as he thought about it. Thought about it for longer than he should have, he was sure. He then said, "No, you're right. I don't. It's tempting to think about, but I couldn't be so selfish as to let the world be destroyed just because it's uncomfortable for me. Besides, I have you and you're a Sailor Senshi too. If I stopped being one, we'd have nothing in common anymore and you'd probably leave me." He now had a wry smile, contrasting with the tear streaks on his face.

"Leave you? Never. I'm still wondering why you stay with me," Haruka returned with a genuine smile. She reached up with a napkin and wiped away Michiru's tears.

Michiru smiled wistfully back to Haruka. "But it's not like Saotome-san's in the same place as me. He'll probably leave. He hasn't been around Usagi-chan long enough to see what she does for everyone, and he doesn't have somebody like you around."

"Saotome-san has Akane-san, and she's involved in this. You've seen her around Hotaru-chan. I think she'd like nothing more than to help the Sailor Senshi, and get her husband to help too," Haruka disagreed.

Michiru shook his head. He loved Haruka, but she wasn't the most perceptive person on the team. "You never were that good at reading people were you? You saw Saotome-san at the shrine. He won't even let us help him, despite Akane's asking. Do you really think he'd be willing to join us after all of that?"

"Why not?" Haruka asked. "She knows him a lot better than we do and she says the curse isn't a problem. So why wouldn't he join us?"

"Judging from that meeting, I'd guess it would be more likely that Saotome-san would leave Akane-san than Akane-san convincing him to join the Sailor Senshi. Honestly I'm not sure she really understands. The way she goes on, she makes it sound like the curse is just a fact of life that Saotome-san just accepts. I don't think she really knows how awful it is. I doubt I'll ever accept it. I don't see how anybody could," Michiru said.

Haruka thought for a second then suggested, "Maybe it isn't as bad for him. He's been cursed for a while, too, so maybe it gets easier as time goes by. I don't know. All I know is that whenever I see him in female form he seems pretty accepting of it."

"Do you really think so?" Michiru asked, with a hint of incredulity in his voice. "You call denying any possibility of being Mamoru-san's sister and absolutely refusing to be a Sailor Senshi unless he's about to be killed accepting his curse? I think more likely Akane-san's wrong. I haven't thought about anything besides the curse since I received it, and I'd guess that the same is true for Saotome-san. You do remember the fight they had, right?"

"I'm serious," Haruka protested "The other day at the mall he seemed much more relaxed about his curse than you do right now. Maybe a bit annoyed and frustrated, but it's not like he absolutely hated it. For that matter, back at that cafe when we first met, he didn't seem that strange despite the fact he was a woman then. I mean besides that martial arts stuff. Akane-san's also known him a lot longer than we have so she's got to know him better than we do, and she says the curse hasn't been a problem for him for quite a while."

Michiru thought about that for bit. He wanted to correct Haruka's callous emotional blindness of other people's feelings given his own experience with his curse. However, the more he thought about it, the more Michiru realized that Haruka actually had a point. In fact the only times Michiru actually remembered a female Ranma being really upset were times when she had also been Sailor Terra. Michiru was willing to admit that he was a bit emotionally compromised right now and was probably neither seeing nor thinking things as clearly as he usually did. Finally he conceded, "You might have a point, Haruka."

Any further discussion about Sailor Terra or other Sailor Senshi business was cut short when Haruka gave quick glance to Michiru in warning of the approaching waitress. Michiru understood and quickly put a temporary stop to their discussion of supernatural phenomena.

As the waitress placed the dishes in front of the pair, Haruka asked Michiru, "So what do you think of Akane-san?"

Michiru first said a quick "Itadakimasu", along with Haruka, and both started eating the served fish. First piece consumed, Michiru answered Haruka, "She seems like a nice woman, but I was actually surprised that you let her be alone with Hotaru."

"Like you said, she seemed like a good enough woman when we met before," Haruka said between bites. "Besides Hotaru-chan likes her and she's always had good judgment. Why were you surprised? Do you think that it was a mistake?"

"No. Not at all. I thought it was a great idea. Hotaru-chan needs a friend. Somebody she can tell things to. You know how much trouble she's had at school. It's a lot better than having just us to rely on," Michiru said, also between small bites of fish.

Haruka put her chopsticks down and looked at Michiru in concern. "What do you mean? She knows she can tell me anything. You too. She looks up to you as a mother, after all," Anybody eavesdropping would have noticed the strangeness of the female Haruka telling the male Michiru this.

"Of course she does, but you remember when you were that age, right? It's not the same. There are some things you just can't tell your parents, even a father as handsome as you," Michiru explained, ignoring the fact that with her tasteful blouse there was no chance of anybody mistaking Haruka for being male.

"Well, then she can talk to the Inner Senshi then," Haruka persisted.

"It's not that easy. Hotaru-chan's might be closer to them than we are, but she was always closest to Chibi-Usa-chan and she's gone now. It might be a bit awkward," Michiru paused, chewing another piece of fish, before continuing. "She might also be worried that anything she tells them they'll turn around and tell us."

Haruka put her chopsticks down again and gave another concerned look to Michiru. Her voice had a slight touch of anger as she asked, "What? Do you think Akane-san wouldn't tell us then? Maybe I shouldn't have left the two of them alone after all."

"Calm down Haruka, I didn't mean anything like that. I'm sure Akane-san would tell us anything if it was important. It's just Hotaru-chan might need somebody else she can talk to. A friend, especially a reincarnated older sister, might just be perfect for her," Michiru said.

"I hope Akane-san isn't just toying with her," Haruka said before drinking a sip of tea.

"She doesn't strike me as the type of woman who would do that. She seems very nice," Michiru asserted.

"You remember her fight with Saotome-san, though, back at the shrine. That argument seemed really bad to me. She better not try anything like that to Hotaru-chan or I'll make her pay," Haruka said scowling.

"That was bad, but do you really think she was wrong? If anything I thought she was right and that Saotome-san was being unreasonable. I might not have put it the same way she did, but I don't think she really did anything wrong there," Michiru said, taking another bite of sushi.

"I guess not. Wait, weren't you just attacking Akane-san and saying how wrong she was? Why are you defending her now?" Haruka asked.

"I wasn't attacking her. I was just wondering how much she really knew about living with a Jusenkyo curse. I could ask the same of you too. Weren't you just defending her before? Why are you questioning her now?" Michiru asked in return.

"Just like you. I wasn't attacking her. I was just wondering about her," Haruka answered. Michiru gave Haruka a suspicious look, but didn't say anything. The rest of the meal passed quickly, the pair primarily talking about what shopping remained.

By the end of the meal Michiru was feeling much better. He felt much less twitchy, and didn't feel the compulsive need to look all around him. The calm, rational part of him which he found exceedingly difficult to listen to recently thought that there might actually be something to what Haruka was hypothesizing earlier about it getting easier to deal with a curse as time went by. Even with all of the paranoia, twitching, and general discomfort, he was pretty sure that even a few days ago he wouldn't have been able to act this close to a semblance of normality in a public venue.

"So what's the event? Your boyfriend's birthday or something? Good idea. If I had someone as cute as him, I'd treat him well too," the waitress said as she presented the check to Haruka. She then gave a wink to Michiru as well.

Her flirting reminded Michiru of his situation, and that quiet, hard to listen to bit of rationality within him was instantly drowned out, obliterated in a wave of self-consciousness, shame, humiliation, and fear. He instantly shrank in on himself.

"Thank you, that will be enough," Haruka curtly dismissed the waitress, placing several bills on the table. She then moved over to give Michiru a hug.

The waitress could tell she had made some mistake, but couldn't figure out what it was. "Thank you," she stammered out and reached for the money. In her haste she knocked over a teacup, which fell towards Michiru.

There was a brief moment of panic within Michiru at the imminent exposure of his curse. Luckily the tea had long since gone cold so nothing happened to him except for him getting a lap full of cold tea. Even so, it was too much for the emotionally fragile Michiru and he started to cry.

Haruka gave the waitress a withering glare, then hugged Michiru tighter.

"I'm so sorry. Let me get you some napkins," the waitress quickly apologized, and then fled the table, leaving the Haruka to comfort Michiru.

Haruka sat there hugging Michiru for a few seconds, murmuring sweet nothings. Then a scream caught the pair's attention. A loud crash and two more screams confirmed something was wrong. Michiru looked up at Haruka through tear blurred eyes, who nodded back.

The prospect of a monster attack was almost a relief to Michiru. Monsters were something he was used to and knew very well how to handle: find monster, beat monster, disappear back into the rumors of urban legend. It was much easier to deal with than becoming male, being flirted with, and subsequently being splashed with cold tea.

The prospect of a monster attack would have been a definite relief rather than only being almost a relief to Michiru if it hadn't been for the prospect of innocent people getting hurt. That was even taking into account that there was a not-inconsequential chance of him and his lover being permanently maimed or killed in the fight.

The pair stood up, leaving the multiple bags of clothing and supplies on the floor, and looked for a quiet hall or door in which to transform. In short order they discovered the emergency exit out the back of the restaurant.

As they headed down the hallway towards it, which was conveniently empty and out of sight, Michiru silently hoped to himself that the possible monster they were heading towards wasn't as bad as Mordecai had been.

* * *

Last Updated: December 11, 2012


	3. Chapter 15

Chapter 15:

"Do you have it yet?" Sailor Jupiter shouted. She dodged a punch which instead took out the wall she had been standing in front of.

"Not yet," Sailor Mercury answered. The response came so quickly it could have been an automatic reflex. She didn't even look at Sailor Jupiter as she spoke.

The situation was dangerous, and the more time went on the more dangerous it became. The Sailor Senshi were nimble enough to consistently evade the monster, but each attack was a close one and it only needed to get lucky once.

"Come on, Mercury, hurry up," Sailor Mars insisted. She fired a Fire Soul attack directly in front of the creature to try to distract it again. It worked. It turned with a snarl and charged at Sailor Mars, who narrowly avoided being slammed bodily across the street.

"Sorry, I'm going as fast as I can. It looks like there might be something weird there, but it's hard to tell," Sailor Mercury apologized, frantically typing into her computer as fast as she could while focusing her attention, and more importantly her visor, at the creature.

The problem had begun three days ago. Michiru and Haruka had entered the Hikawa Shrine talking about a monster they had run into while having lunch. Luckily the fight hadn't been that difficult and the pair had finished the monster off without too much trouble. They had just reported the attack as a formality. Typically Ami would investigate any supernatural occurrences just to make sure they weren't harbingers of a new threat.

Ami was able to get to their battle site that evening, the damaged walls and ground making it obvious where the Outer Senshi had fought. Her quick scans didn't find any negative energy or anything overtly wrong about the place, so she had concluded it must have been some ghost or other supernatural phenomena rather than the precursor of a new major enemy. Ami took a few final readings for future comparison just in case and then headed home.

That conclusion was quickly proven wrong when, on the way home, her communicator went off again. This time it was Sailor Moon. She had been doing some evening shopping, courtesy of Mamoru and his wallet, when they ran across a monster as well. That fight had also been relatively modest. Tuxedo Kamen had distracted the creature which had allowed Sailor Moon to dispatch it without too much difficulty.

Ami had then redirected her trip home to the shopping mall Usagi and Mamoru had been visiting. The damage there had been less extensive than at the street where Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune had fought. The only evidence something had happened there was a broken window and several small holes in the ground made by Tuxedo Kamen's enchanted roses. Ami hadn't been able to examine the battle field as well as she would have liked to due to being ushered out by mall security at closing time, but her quick scans again revealed nothing of note.

Any hopes that these fights were just a coincidence were shattered the next morning. Sailor Jupiter had called in, saying she was in a fight near her apartment and she needed help. She had woken up to the sound of screaming, and rushed outside to see some monster running around attacking anybody it could get its hands on. There were numerous bodies, many seriously injured, lining the street. She had managed to intercept and engage the creature in combat, but it was fast enough that she wasn't able to get a decisive shot in against it. Instead she had been forced on the defensive, frantically trying to stay in one piece, until Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus had shown up to finish it off.

Again Ami had checked the site out, and again she couldn't determine anything from it. This pattern continued for several days, with every few hours another monster attacking in an unpredictable location. The Sailor Senshi had taken to patrolling the area, as if there wasn't a Sailor Senshi on hand to deal with the attack then there would inevitably be numerous causalities.

Luckily none of the unknown creatures were exceptionally strong, but they were still strong enough to make it almost impossible for any single Sailor Senshi to handle an attack on her own. If one of them stumbled across an enemy she would be forced on the defensive waiting for help to arrive. Eventually they would get the two or three Sailor Senshi needed to defeat the monster. Then later, when Ami would scan the area after the fight, she would always find nothing.

Less luckily, the attacks were coming in faster as time went on. The second monster hadn't shown up for about half a day. The third one had shown up about eight hours later. The fourth one was discovered about six hours after that. There were still a couple of hours between each attack and things were still well in hand, but at the current rate things were going it was going to get very bad very quickly if they couldn't figure out what was going on.

Ami's eventual conclusion was that she would need to examine one of the monsters while it was still alive. She had reached that conclusion by the second day. However fate had conspired against the team and she was never anywhere near where a monster would attack.

Finally in desperation they had come to the current plan, whereby whichever Sailor Senshi engaged the monster would need to stall it until Sailor Mercury could show up. The lucky Sailor Senshi had been Sailor Mars, who had been minding her own business eating lunch when the screams of innocents from a few streets over caught her attention. She transformed, called for reinforcements, and started acting as a distraction while Sailor Mercury was en route. Sailor Mercury happened to be on the other side of the district, so a substantial amount of stalling was in order.

The fight had been a hard one for Sailor Mars. The number of near misses and grazing hits were a stinging reminder to her that it had been far too long since she had engaged in the more physical aspects of monster fighting. At the start of the fight, the monster had charged at her and taken a huge swipe. She had tried to dodge backwards from the monster's attack only to trip and land on her back. The monster had followed up with an overhead swing, which had forced Sailor Mars to roll over in an attempt to avoid it. From there she had had to rapidly crawl away for a bit before she could get to her feet for a full-fledged run.

Sailor Mars had then spent the next few minutes trying her best to stay one step ahead of the attacking creature, and managing to do so more by plain luck than any master plan. During those minutes she resolved that if she survived that she would tease Sailor Moon's legendary clumsiness less in the future. In the immediate future, at least.

With the arrival of Sailor Jupiter things had become noticeably easier. However both of them had to constantly stay on their toes, lest they either accidentally kill the monster or end up in a hospital or a morgue themselves. They had reverted to their most basic attacks to fight the monster, neither wanting to actually kill it but also not wanting to remain a mere idle target either.

After what seemed like an eternity, Sailor Mercury had arrived on the scene, now several blocks from where Sailor Mars had first engaged the creature, and the next phase began. Sailor Mercury began scanning the creature, taking what seemed like another eternity to the consternation of her teammates.

"Wait, I'm getting something. It looks like it's just out of phase. Let me try to adjust these settings to isolate it," Sailor Mercury announced.

Sailor Mars had no idea what that meant. She just hoped that whatever Sailor Mercury was doing that she would do it quickly.

Sailor Mars wasn't the only one to take notice of the semi-hidden Sailor Senshi. Almost as if detecting some hidden threat from Sailor Mercury, the monster turned and charged at her. Sailor Mercury was so caught up taking readings that she barely noticed her danger. It was only at Sailor Jupiter's shout that she looked up at the charging foe, and then jumped out of the way just in time.

A Supreme Thunder hitting the monster was enough to catch its attention and redirect it back to one of the designated distraction Sailor Senshi, letting Sailor Mercury finish her scans.

Three near-misses later, Sailor Mercury finally announced, "Okay, got it. Shine Aqua Illusion!"

Her blast of magically enchanted water knocked the beast off of its feet just before it was able to disembowel Sailor Jupiter. This stunned it long enough for Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mars to blast it with a Sparkling Wide Pressure and a Burning Mandala respectively, causing it to slowly evaporate into thin air.

Sailor Jupiter took a second to catch her breath, then turned to Sailor Mercury and asked, "So, what did you find?"

"I think it was a demon. It was pretty similar to the ones which have been attacking Saotome-san," Sailor Mercury explained.

"No way. It was a lot weaker than that demon that attacked us at the school yard," Sailor Jupiter protested.

"If that's so, then why are they attacking people at random? Shouldn't they be going after Saotome-san?" Sailor Mars also asked.

"I didn't say they were the same, I said they were similar, and I don't know why they're attacking people at random. Maybe it's just a coincidence," Sailor Mercury defended herself. "Anyway it gave off some strange energy signature which was out of phase with our time. That's why I didn't detect anything at those other attacks. With the primary source gone, the residual energy was too weak to pierce the temporal barrier. But now that I know what I'm looking for, I was able to change my scans to filter out the background energies and detect the demon."

"So you'll be able to detect more of them then?" Sailor Mars asked.

"Yes, I'll be able to detect them now if there are any more of them. That's assuming they're from the same source and use the same type of energy," Sailor Mercury confirmed. "I should also be able to locate where they're coming from too, if I get close enough."

"Great, so what are we waiting around here for then?" Sailor Jupiter asked.

"I'm not detecting anything here. We're going to have to go on patrol to see if I can find anything," Sailor Mercury said.

"We should get going then. I don't want to be out too late or grandpa might worry," Sailor Mars said. The three then embarked on yet another patrol around the area.

To say that Sailor Mars was happy would be a gross overstatement. It seemed like she had spent all of her spare time for the past three days patrolling and fighting. The difference between then and now, though, was that now they had actual purpose and a goal in mind rather than just waiting for something to go wrong to react to. All in all it left her feeling satisfied for the afternoon's work so far.

* * *

From Akane's perspective, the occasional times the topic of Ranma had come up during her frequent talks with Hotaru had raised more questions in her mind than answers. She really didn't understand Ranma's utter rejection to being Sailor Terra, or his rejection of the Sailor Senshi to the point that he refused to even let them help with Happosai's demons. Thankfully, at least, those attacks seemed to have stopped since the fight with Mordecai.

It wasn't being female. She was firmly of the conviction that Ranma viewed the curse as a moderate annoyance at most, and certainly not enough of one to cause this level of anger. It might have been the arbitrariness of the unearned strength the transformation granted to him. However protecting the weak and the innocent should come first for a martial artist, and if being a Sailor Senshi enabled that then it shouldn't matter what the source of that power was.

Despite her best efforts, though, every attempt to discover the root of Ranma's resistance resulted in abject failure. She had first tried confronting him, or rather asking him, the morning after that disastrous day when she had revealed herself as Saturn Knight. Things had turned sour rather quickly. Her words had come out all wrong, things escalated, and she had somehow found herself insulting his dedication to martial arts.

In retrospect she thought she should have just let things lie, but like a scab she couldn't help but pick at, she kept trying to find out what was motivating her husband's resistance. Her second attempt had ended up with her insulting his manliness in a pique of anger, and her third attempt had somehow ended up veering off with her bringing up the subject of him two-timing her with Shampoo. She still wasn't quite sure how she had ended up accusing him of that, even when she replayed the heated argument back in her mind.

Each time, once the haze of anger and the primitive need to win an argument had faded away, she would feel terrible and try to apologize, but Ranma refused to listen. Whenever she tried to get closer to him he would just back away. Whenever she tried to talk to him he would close up, or worse he would get visibly angry before discontinuing the conversation and leaving the room.

In desperation Akane had even tried to apologize for things she thought she had no reason to be sorry for. She apologized for coming to Juuban, for meeting up with Hotaru, for trying to have him keep the curse a secret from Rei when they had first arrived, for everything. If anything, those apologies just made him act more distant and secluded.

The situation had continued to degenerate until the two barely spoke to each other anymore. Ranma simply never initiated a conversation with Akane, whereas Akane's attempts to talk to Ranma were only met with icy coldness.

The two of them were currently eating a silent dinner. Akane didn't even have the dubious pleasure of the ritual fight of trying to cook for him. By the time she had come home from classes he was already in the kitchen cooking for them both. Her announcement of "Taidaima" when she entered their home had met with no response, and when she had entered the kitchen to try and hug her husband he simply moved out of the way without even looking in her direction.

The meal passed by in silence. Besides both saying "Itadakimasu" no words passed between them. It was painfully sad.

It was almost a relief when the phone rang in the middle of dinner.

Ranma barely acknowledged Akane as she excused herself and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" Akane asked into the receiver.

The voice on the phone greeted in a hushed voice, "Hello? Akane-oneesan?"

"Hotaru-chan. How are you?" Akane answered, a modicum of the dark depression around her instantly evaporating. At the same time a scowl flashed across Ranma's face, but lately he was so surly anyway that Akane didn't pay it any special attention.

"I'm sorry to bother you, especially at dinner time, but there's an emergency meeting of the Sailor Senshi being called at the Hikawa Shrine. Usagi-san said that we shouldn't bother you and your husband, but I didn't think it was very good to leave you out just because of him," Hotaru said, still in a loud whisper.

"An emergency meeting? Why? What's going on?" Akane asked. It almost didn't matter. She was happy for any reason to spend time with Hotaru, especially with the coldness and discomfort her home life had recently exhibited, and Sailor Senshi business was a better reason than most.

"Ami-san's found the source of the demon attacks we've been having, and we're meeting up to talk about what to do about it," Hotaru explained.

"You mean the ones which have been attacking Ranma? You know where Happosai is?" Akane asked. At this point Ranma stopped his pretenses of not listening and turned to watch Akane and the phone.

"No, not that. There's been more attacks," Hotaru said in a voice a bit louder and more excited than before.

"More attacks?" Akane interrupted, shocked.

"Yes, you didn't know?" Hotaru asked.

"No, I didn't," Akane said.

"There's been a bunch of attacks for the past few days, maybe about 10 or 15 or so," Hotaru said. "We've managed to stop most of them before there were any serious injuries."

"That many?" Akane asked. "That's what, three a day?"

"About. Sometimes more. Anyway Ami-san managed to find the source of them but she won't tell us anything else until everybody's all together. That's the subject of the meeting, to talk about the source and what we should do about it," Hotaru said quickly. "I wanted to tell you so you could come and help too."

"Okay. You said the meeting's going to be at the Hikawa Shrine right? When?" Akane asked, eager to join in. Since that fight at the school yard when she had first transformed into Saturn Knight she had sneaked away and managed to figure out how to actually perform a couple of the magical attacks from her memories. She was eager to try out her new techniques in actual combat.

"We're meeting at the shrine in an hour and a half. Ami-san, Rei-san, and Usagi-san needed some time to figure out something to tell their family. So you're going to come then?" Hotaru asked. Then without waiting for an answer Hotaru suddenly whispered in a much quieter voice, "Oops, got to go. Bye."

"Hello? Hotaru-chan?" Akane asked into the now silent receiver. There was no response. She stared at the phone for a second in contemplation of what must have happened on the other end of the line and then replaced it to its cradle. Akane then turned to go back to her meal, only to see Ranma watching her intently.

"What's this about more attacks?" Ranma asked. His voice was as flat as if he was asking about something as common as if there was any more rice in the house. Then again, given Ranma's life, his question was probably as common, if not more common, than asking if they had any more rice.

Akane sighed. Ranma was talking to her so that was a small blessing at least. "Apparently there's been several demon attacks in the past few days. The Sailor Senshi have been fighting them but haven't managed to stop them all."

"And they didn't tell us? Why not? I could have helped," Ranma asked, utterly oblivious to the contradiction or irony of his question.

Akane wasn't, though. In a teasing voice she asked, "Why would they? You don't want anything to do with the Sailor Senshi, right?"

Ranma answered with a frosty voice, "It's got nothing to do with that. Sailor Senshi or no, it's a martial artist's duty to protect the weak and I'm going to do that."

"That was a joke, Ranma, a joke. I'm sorry," Akane said, waving her hands defensively towards Ranma's accusation. She decided not to point out the parallels between what Ranma had just said and a conversation between Ranma and Sailor Senshi the previous week at the shrine.

"So, what's with the phone call then?" Ranma asked, voice still icy cold.

"Hotaru-chan said that they had managed to find the source of the demons and are meeting up in an hour and a half at the Hikawa Shrine to talk about how to handle it. She asked me to go and help them," Akane said.

"I suppose they want me to go too?" Ranma said.

"No. She said that Usagi-chan actually told them to leave you alone," Akane said. Told them to leave both Ranma and Akane alone, but Akane was all too happy to opt herself out of that declaration.

"And Hotaru-chan just happens to call you, and you just happen to tell me?" Ranma said with obvious skepticism.

"Yes. You asked me, remember? You don't have to go, you know. You can stay here, nice and safe if you want to," Akane retorted. Ranma gave a growl of frustration, catching Akane short and making her feel guilty yet again. It seemed like she always felt guilty recently. No matter what happened Ranma would make her feel like she had done something wrong. It wasn't fair.

"Damn it. Damn duty. Damn oaths," Ranma said after a brief pause. "You know I can't just stay here. If I can help protect people I need to go. That doesn't mean I have to like it, though."

Oaths? Plural? Was there something else besides his duty as a martial artist? Regardless, the scowl on Ranma's face showed Akane that not only did he not have to like it, he vehemently disliked it.

"It's not for another hour and a half anyway. Let's finish dinner first and do some homework. Who knows how much time we'll have after the meeting?" Akane suggested.

Ranma looked to be on the verge of protesting, but settled down and just said, "Fine."

With that, they both went back to the uncomfortably silent dinner.

Akane sighed to herself. Another argument. It seemed like every time they shared more than four words with each other it ended up in an argument of some sort. This had to change soon. Akane just didn't know how.

Hopefully if Ranma spent a little more time with the Sailor Senshi, he would realize they were a nice sort. Hotaru was quite nice, as was Michiru and Haruka. Akane was equally sure that all of the Inner Senshi were just as warm and friendly.

Hopefully this evening's meeting would be the first step to something new; the first step to Ranma accepting the Sailor Senshi.

Hopefully.

* * *

It had been surprisingly easy for Rei to convince her grandfather to not be around the temple in preparation for the upcoming Sailor Senshi meeting. Rei only had to tell him that some of her friends were coming over to talk about some problems they were having, which was true, and that she would appreciate some privacy when they talked, which was also true, to convince the elder Hino to find Yuuichiro and go run some errands in town. She could tell that he suspected something was amiss, but she also knew he wouldn't pry unless she wanted to talk to him about it. She didn't.

The first group to arrive was Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru. Despite the fact that Michiru was in female form, Rei could see the impact that the curse had had on her. The most obvious change was her clothing. She used to dress so elegantly, with lots of flowing blouses, skirts, and dresses, all topped off with just the right accessories to make her picture perfect. What she now wore was so ill fitting and androgynous that it almost looked butch. In fact it was quite literally butch except Michiru's posture and movements conveyed a natural feminine grace which still shone through. However, even that natural grace was substantially muted due to her bearing and how she now carried herself. She looked unsure and uncomfortable, projecting a general lack of confidence. That bearing combined with her bigger and ill-fitting clothes made her appear much smaller than she actually was, almost as if she were shrinking in on herself.

If she hadn't already known, Rei would have definitely been prompted to ask Michiru if something was wrong. However Rei already did know something was wrong, and furthermore already knew exactly what that something was, so she held her tongue.

Earlier Haruka had warned her, as well as the other Inner Senshi, to not talk about the curse with Michiru as she was still having a hard time of it. Rei was only too happy to comply, having no desire to poke at the still sore wound if she could help it, especially given a couple of the brief anecdotes she had already heard about over the past few days. Rei's only insistence was that in compensation for her promise to leave Michiru alone that Haruka would let her know if there was ever anything at all she could do to help.

Seeing the obvious impact that getting cursed to turn male had had upon Michiru, Rei was starting to reconsider her opinion of Ranma for what seemed like the hundredth time since he had arrived. She had assumed that the curse was not that big a deal. Ranma had seemed so casual and normal when they had met. Even her grandfather had said that it wasn't really a curse, which was all the more evidence to her that it couldn't really have been all that bad. That was before seeing firsthand the effect being cursed had had on Michiru. Seeing the previously proud and confident Michiru reduced this much made Rei genuinely wonder what kind of person Ranma had been before his curse, seeing how he still maintained confidence to the point of arrogance and still had a flippant attitude towards life in general despite Jusenkyo.

Haruka entered besides Michiru. Her arm was draped protectively around her lover, and her eyes carefully looked around as if searching for some unseen danger. Left, right, down, and up. No direction was left unchecked. Her face didn't carry the same haunted look that Michiru's had, but Rei did notice how she quite intentionally maneuvered herself to sit between Michiru and a pitcher of water across the room as they took a seat to wait. The pitcher was over ten meters away.

Hotaru was the next to enter the room. She also carried a worried look on her face for some reason, and like Haruka earlier she looked around the room as she entered. However her glance was much more furtive and quick than Haruka's measured one. Hotaru's face then fell a little when she presumably failed to locate what she was looking for, but it was so subtle that Rei almost missed it. Hotaru then placed herself where she could easily watch the entrance of the room, a mixture of worry and anxiety playing across her face.

Rei wondered if the effects of Michiru's curse were somehow contagious. It seemed like everybody in their non-standard household had been affected somehow.

A quick glance at the door forced Rei to correct her early assessment. In addition to the regular three Outer Senshi, Setsuna had also arrived in the first group. That was unusual for her. Rei had just assumed that Setsuna wouldn't be coming. She usually didn't bother attending these meetings, and the few times she did she would more often than not just suddenly appear on her own rather than arrive with her housemates.

The room remained silent despite the new visitors' arrival. Michiru was her new ordinary, agitated self, and not in a mood to talk. Haruka was spending most of her effort comforting Michiru and thus wasn't in a mood to talk either. Hotaru seemed unusually anxious as well and was far from her usual happy, if sometimes haunted, self. Setsuna was the only one acting normally, but that only meant that she was her ordinary detached self who was content to calmly wait in silence.

Rei tried to strike up a conversation with the mysterious Guardian of Time, but when she asked Setsuna why she had taken the unusual step of being here given how she almost never showed up at meetings, Setsuna had only answered that she thought she might be needed. She wouldn't explain any more than that, so Rei's attempts at conversation faltered.

The group was left sitting in silence, Rei hoping for somebody else to show up quickly. Her prayers were answered when Makoto showed up shortly thereafter, along with Minako and Artemis. The two girls were talking animatedly when they entered the temple.

To Rei's disappointment, they were talking about what cute boys they had seen in school recently and were plotting ways to intentionally run in to them by accident, preferably literally. As Rei was officially above such gossip, and both officially and unofficially didn't attend the same school as the pair of them, this left her decidedly outside of that conversation.

At least the silence around the room was broken with Minako's and Makoto's gossiping. Rei might not have been adding to their chatter, but that didn't stop it from having an effect on the overall atmosphere of the gathering. The lively inconsequential banter had the effect of brightening the previously oppressive silence. Michiru seemed relax a bit from the added warmth, causing Haruka to relax a bit as well. Despite this, Hotaru seemed just as nervous as ever to Rei, maybe even more so.

Any extra warmth Minako and Makoto's conversation was bringing to the meeting was abruptly choked off when Mamoru showed up at the door. No wonder, too. No matter how much they liked Mamoru, it couldn't feel good to be gossiping about boys in front of another boy. Rei also suspected that both Minako and Makoto still secretly fancied Mamoru. She knew that she herself still secretly fancied Mamoru, not that she would ever admit to that in front of Usagi.

Rei wondered if Mamoru felt as out of place as he obviously looked. He was the only man in the room surrounded by numerous girls, six younger than him and one older than him. True there was Artemis as well, but a cat didn't help much in regard to the gender equation. That Usagi, the almost perfect antithesis to punctuality, wasn't around yet either could only add to his both looking and probably feeling out of place.

An awkward silence once again permeated the room. Rei had never realized before exactly how little she had in common with the Outer Senshi before now. She wasn't on unfriendly terms with them by any stretch of the imagination, but she rarely had the chance to actually interact with them. Without Usagi's presence acting like the glue which bound the two groups together there simply wasn't anything she had to talk to them about except the off-limit topic of Michiru's curse.

It was a great relief to Rei when Ami finally showed up. The silence in the room had become oppressive to Rei, and hopefully Ami's attendance would be the catalyst to finally break it. She had barely let Ami take a seat before asking her, "So, what have you found out about these creatures?"

Everybody in the room perked up at this question and turned their attention to Ami. Everybody except for Hotaru, who looked more nervous than ever and was anxiously watching the doorway.

"It's probably better to wait for everybody to get here. I don't want to have to explain things twice," Ami said.

Rei was sure that if Usagi didn't hear the explanation from the beginning that she would ask so many questions once she did arrive as to force Ami to effectively start over. However that was an issue for later, and furthermore it wasn't her problem. They could cross that bridge when they got there. For now, if she could get Ami to start explaining what she had discovered it could break the boring and oppressive atmosphere around the room. Moreover it would give Rei yet one more opportunity to demonstrate her superior knowledge over Usagi, which counted as a win in her book.

Rei pressed on, "Come on, Ami-chan. You know how slow that meatball head can be, and everybody else is here already. Can't you get the meeting started now and we'll fill her in later?"

"Yeah, come on Ami-chan. What are these things we're facing?" Makoto agreed.

"I really think it's better to wait for everybody to show up before we talk about these demons. There's a lot more going on than just these random attacks," Ami repeated.

"All the more important to start early then," Minako chimed in. "It's like they say, 'it's better to make hay before it hatches.'"

Rei's had to turn that mistaken proverb around in her head a few times before it made sense to her. Once what Minako had been trying to say became clear, Rei quickly agreed, "What Minako-chan said. Let's get this meeting started."

Ami was saved from the pressure of the group to get started without Usagi from the most unlikely of sources.

Mamoru got a surprised look on his face and started looking around. It was obvious enough for Rei to take notice. She was about to ask if everything was alright when the door opened, revealing something which took her breath away.

In the entrance were the figures of both Akane and Ranma.

The playful pushing of Ami to get the meeting started was immediately forgotten in surprise. Rei was rendered shocked and speechless for a second, as was almost everybody else in the room. Hotaru, for her part, somehow managed to look both relieved and worried at the same time.

It took several moments before Rei was able to gather her wits enough to ask, "What are you doing here?"

"Hotaru-chan told me about this meeting and asked me to come," Akane said defiantly.

"That's right. I thought Akane-oneesan would be interested in joining, but I didn't think..." Hotaru started explaining but trailed off hesitantly.

"Yeah," Makoto picked up where Hotaru left off. "I thought you didn't want to have anything to do with the Sailor Senshi, Saotome-san, so why'd you come?"

"Just because I not going be a Sailor Senshi doesn't mean I'm just going to sit back and let innocent people get hurt. I'll bet Happosai is behind this somehow, too, and there's no way I'm letting him have his way," Ranma said. He took a position on the side of the room as distant from Artemis as was possible, even though that placed him next to the water pitcher.

Ami looked to be on the verge of saying something else, but closed her mouth without saying it.

"Well, I'm glad you came," Hotaru declared.

"So, what's going on then? What'd we miss?" Akane asked.

"Nothing so far. You're just in time. We're waiting for Usagi-chan and Luna to show up before we get started," Rei said. She noticed Ranma flinch and take a quick glance at the door when she said Luna's name.

"Because somebody," Makoto said, looking exaggeratedly at Ami, "refuses to start without her."

"I just don't want to repeat everything twice. It'll go a lot faster if I only have to explain things one time," Ami defended herself.

"It's probably better that way. She is the leader of the group after all," Michiru added in support of her fellow water-based Sailor Senshi.

"Too bad she's late again," Haruka concluded.

With that the group collapsed into another awkward silence, made more so with the unexpected-for-most arrivals of Ranma and Akane. With all of the recent tension between them nobody wanted to approach Ranma. Not even Mamoru, who had every reason to want to talk to his reincarnated sibling, seemed inclined to open a conversation. Whether this was because Mamoru didn't want to scare him off or because of the presence of all the girls, Rei didn't know.

Akane was much more approachable, and in fact Hotaru looked like she very much wanted to talk to her. However Ranma spent a lot of time glaring at Hotaru, occasionally taking the time to glare at the other Sailor Senshi and especially at Mamoru as well. She wasn't surprised that Hotaru felt intimidated by this and didn't approach. Even Rei felt a bit intimidated by him, and she wasn't even the primary recipient of his attention.

Finally, after what seemed like far too long, Usagi showed up with Luna following just behind her. Gasping for breath, Usagi exclaimed "SorryI'mlateeverybodybutmymomwouldn'tletmegobeforeWHAT?!" The last was said when she caught sight of Ranma and Akane. Then visibly catching her breath, Usagi said, "Saotome-san, Akane-san. What are you doing here?"

"Apparently Hotaru-chan decided to invite Akane-san, and Saotome-san decided to tag along," Makoto explained to Usagi.

"I didn't just decide to tag along. I thought you would need all the help you could get," Ranma said hostilely. The backhanded commentary upon their collective skill did not go unnoticed, although it did go unremarked upon.

Usagi gave a pointed glance at Hotaru as she said, "I thought I told everybody not to bug you."

"I wanted to help out. I hope it won't cause any problems," Akane said.

Usagi's expression softened a little as she said, "It's not that. We're glad that you want to help. I just thought you didn't want to get involved with us."

"Yeah. I didn't, and I still don't; not if it means me being a Sailor Senshi or nothing," Ranma said, "but I heard there were these demons running around hurting people and I don't need to be a Sailor Senshi to deal with those. If it means I can finally settle things with Happosai, then so much the better."

"You don't even know that Happosai's behind all this," Akane said.

Makoto chimed in saying, "Yeah Ami-chan. It's been long enough and everybody's here. Why don't you finally tell us what's going on?"

"Okay. Now you know I haven't been able to get much information from those demons after we beat them, right?" Ami asked rhetorically. Ranma and Akane didn't do anything which would suggest a lack of knowledge while everybody else in the room nodded in agreement to the question. "The reason for that is because these demons are strange. They're slightly out of temporal phase with us. That's why they've been so hard to detect."

"Wait, 'out of temporal phase?' What's that supposed to mean?" Minako asked.

"It means they come from a parallel timeline. It's kind of like a parallel universe, only instead of overlapping with our time and being in a different space, it overlaps with our space and exists in a different timeline. It's not really that simple, but it's close enough for this discussion," Ami answered.

Looking around the room, Rei saw that the other Inner Senshi looked just as confused by Ami's exposition as she felt. On the other hand, Michiru nodded her head in reaction to Ami's explanation, so apparently it meant something to somebody.

Rei tried her best to synthesize what she could from Ami's remarks, and then asked the next logical question, "So, what are they after then?"

"I'm not actually sure," Ami admitted, before hurriedly adding, "but I was able to find their source. Now that I was able to scan one of those demons I was able to isolate the phase frequency of the temporal shift and run my visor scanning through a..." Ami noticed that she had lost most of the people present so cut herself off. She instead summarized by saying, "I was able to find a way to track their energy and locate a portal nearby. It seems like that's where they're all coming from."

"So that means we just go there and destroy the portal, right?" Makoto asked.

"It's not that easy," Ami said. Nobody was surprised. It was never that easy. "There's something else behind the portal. It's hard to read, but it's strong. Really strong. It doesn't seem as strong as the Ginzuishou, but it's on that order of magnitude."

Everybody in the room reacted in surprise to that declaration; Usagi, Mamoru, and Ranma most of all. The only one who this declaration didn't elicit a reaction from was Akane, who simply asked, "Ginzuishou? What's that?"

Hotaru was the first to answer, saying, "That's that artifact I was telling you about before, that Beryl and Metalia were after when Sailor Moon first awoke."

"It was the strongest artifact in the entire Moon Kingdom, and it's what made the Silver Millennium possible," Luna tried to clarify. Rei noted that Ranma tensed when Luna spoke, but otherwise didn't react nearly as much as she would have expected given the Neko-ken training she now knew of.

Akane nodded briefly to Luna's declaration but didn't otherwise react very much, certainly not to the extent that the discovery of a Ginzuishou strength power source warranted. Despite what Hotaru had said, Rei couldn't help but think Akane didn't fully understand what it was capable of.

"I use it to transform into Sailor Moon," Usagi added, pulling it out.

Rei wasn't sure if actually showing the Ginzuishou to Akane would really help to explain how remarkable Usagi's inheritance was. It might be an exceptionally pretty looking stone, but its appearance did little to suggest how much power it actually contained.

Akane failed to react to Usagi's demonstration, suggesting that it hadn't actually helped any.

"So what does that mean then?" Haruka asked, redirecting the group away from the side topic Akane's ignorance had started. "We need to go in and find out what it is?"

Ami agreed, "I thought that that would be the most prudent course of action. We could try to close the portal from this side, but it'd still be better to find out for sure what that energy source is before we try to close it."

"But what about the attacks going on here? We need to stop them before more people get hurt," Usagi declared.

"That's another reason to investigate. That power might be the cause of the attacks here, and if we just close the portal it could just open another one, maybe this time somewhere more remote which we won't find out about it until it's too late," Ami said.

"A demon might attack Tokyo while you're investigating," Artemis warned the group.

"Those attacks are coming more often too," Michiru agreed.

"We could split up and send some people through while everybody else stays behind in case of another attack," Minako suggested.

"It better be a small team," Ranma said with an authority of somebody who had undertaken numerous reconnaissance, and assault and rescue missions in the past. "They'll need to avoid a direct confrontation. If it is an enemy then we can't afford to face a power source as strong as the Ginzuishou with anything less than full force."

"That's what I was thinking," Ami agreed. "It'll be dangerous. It's out of phase with our time and there's no guarantee what will happen for those going through. It would likely tear anybody not protected apart in a matter of moments. The Sailor Senshi uniform should guard against that, but there's likely to be some synchronization problems as well."

Setsuna surprised everybody by speaking up and saying, "I had better go then. I should be able to help stabilize the portal for everybody else going through."

"I was hoping to hear you say that," Ami said. "I'd better go as well. I know the most about what's going on, and we'll need my computer and visor to find what we're looking for."

"Count me in too," Minako said. "I'm used to small operations from back in England. 'Float like a butterfly and be as quiet as a bee.'"

"That should be quiet as a mouse," Makoto corrected Minako.

"What does a mouse have to do with a butterfly?" Minako asked.

"Never mind," Makoto said. Minako really was hopeless.

"Well, I'm going too," Usagi declared.

"And if you're going, I'm going too," Mamoru declared, taking Usagi's hand.

Rei protested, "You can't go Usagi-chan. It's too dangerous."

"I can't just ask others to go into danger without me," Usagi complained.

"It's not just that," Ami said, "We need somebody to protect Tokyo while we're there. The demons have been appearing more frequently."

Usagi protested, "Who else can go then? You said the enemies are really powerful, right?"

"I can go," Hotaru quietly said.

"No, you can't!" Michiru exclaimed, possessively hugging the small girl.

Haruka put a hand on Michiru's shoulder and said, "We can't always protect her. She is Sailor Saturn too."

Ami interrupted, "Michiru-san's right. Sailor Saturn's attacks are too indiscriminate and too dangerous for an unknown situation. I was actually thinking Saotome-san might go."

"What? Me?" Ranma asked, surprised.

"Yes," Ami confirmed. "According to the records I saw in the Mercury Computer, besides the Princess and Sailor Saturn, Sailor Terra was the strongest Sailor Senshi during the Silver Millennium. Furthermore, with your martial arts background you are probably the most qualified person here to handle the widest range of unknown dangers."

"And I suppose you're going to say that I need to be Sailor Terra for this too, aren't you?" Ranma asked caustically.

"Yes. I meant what I said before," Ami said, half explaining and half apologizing. "We're going into another timeline and you'll need the protection that the Sailor Senshi uniform offers. Who knows what we'll be facing there? It's better to be careful."

Akane chimed in, saying, "Weren't you saying you were going to protect the weak? Who cares what you have to wear to do it?"

Ranma muttered something to himself but Rei couldn't make out what it was. Then in a louder voice, Ranma grumbled, "Fine, fine. If that's what I have to do."

"That should be enough then," Ami declared. "Now that that's settled we need to hurry to take care of this portal before more demons attack."

"But what about my sleep?" Usagi asked, in that particular tone of voice bordering on the edge of whining. It was likely on the wrong side of that border.

Ami explained, "We need to go now. At the rate these attacks are increasing something very bad's going to happen tomorrow evening, so the sooner we deal with this the better."

"So, who's going where then?" Haruka asked.

"It's probably better if we don't all go to the portal," Ami suggested. "If another demon attacks it'd be better if there was another group somewhere else to increase our coverage area."

"So who's going to the portal and who's going to patrol?" Makoto asked.

"Let's make it easy. Ami-chan and I are already going to the portal. Why not just have all of the Inner Senshi come with us," Minako suggested.

"And then Michiru, Hotaru-chan, and I will go out on patrol?" Haruka asked.

"Sure. We're all used to working with each other anyway, and you are as well. It'll be better that way," Minako said.

"What about me?" Akane asked. "I want to help too."

There was a silent pause as everybody remembered the last time Akane had joined in a fight. She had been more of a target than anything, even in the Saturian Guard armor. Nobody dared to say it, but they were afraid she would be more of a liability than an asset.

Everybody except for Hotaru. Her face perked up, and she quickly offered, "You can come with us, Akane-oneesan."

This caused a deeper silence to permeate the room, as everybody else in the room stared carefully at Akane and Ranma to see their reaction.

Akane took a subtle glance at Ranma, barely noticed by the careful stare of the others in the room. One second ticked by, than another. Slowly. If Ranma noticed he didn't say anything, let alone protest the arrangements. Eventually Akane said hesitantly, "I guess I can go with Hotaru-chan."

A flash of a frown briefed Ranma's face before it disappeared. Now it was his turn to subtly glance at Akane, only noticed by the gathered crowd because of their continued staring at the pair. Another pause. Several seconds passed. Akane either didn't notice Ranma's gaze or was intentionally acting like she didn't. Eventually he said with forced nonchalance, "Sure, that's your choice isn't it. It doesn't matter to me."

Akane flashed a scowl as well, which unlike Ranma's frown earlier stayed on her face. She quickly said, "Fine then, I'll go with Hotaru-chan. At least she appreciates me."

"Fine then," Ranma said, his tone suggesting it was anything but fine.

"Then we're agreed," Akane said, her tone suggesting it was anything but agreed.

"Okay, okay," Usagi said, interrupting the pair's fighting. "So that means that Akane-san and all of the Outer Senshi except Sailor Pluto will go out on patrol while the rest of us are going to the portal then, right?"

Neither Ranma nor Akane looked very satisfied with the conclusion, but neither said anything. Instead Ami said, "That's what it sounds like. We'd better hurry. Like I said before, these attacks are coming more frequently. It's going to be a long night for us all."

Makoto cracked her knuckles and said, "I can't wait."

Among the people in the room, Makoto's attitude was definitely in the minority.

* * *

The group was silent as everybody followed Sailor Mercury to the warehouse she had found earlier. Sailor Terra assumed that the various Sailor Senshi were lost in thought in preparation for the task ahead of them, but she couldn't be sure. The only person she was sure about was Tuxedo Kamen, who she could feel was anxious and wanted to approach her but wasn't willing to do anything which could cause offense. She didn't pay him, or indeed any of the others, any mind.

Instead she was still fuming about the meeting they had just had. Why did Akane seem so eager to go with Hotaru and her group? Didn't Akane care at all anymore? Wasn't Akane at all worried for her? Granted she had everything under control, but it was the principle of the thing. It seemed like Akane spent more time with Hotaru than at home these days too. Did Hotaru mean more to Akane than she did? Didn't Akane even care about their marriage anymore? Akane didn't even say goodbye before they had split up into their respective groups, hardly the behavior of a loving wife.

She was pulled out of her thoughts, suspicions, and accusations of Akane when Sailor Mercury announced, "We're here. It's in that building across the street."

Sailor Terra looked up and saw that Sailor Mercury had stopped with her computer and visor out. Across the street was a fairly nondescript warehouse, practically indistinguishable from hundreds of other similar buildings. Sailor Mercury was apparently scanning the warehouse because she added, "I'm detecting three demons in there right now. No wait, make that four of them, I think."

"What are we going to do?" Sailor Moon asked.

"They haven't been that strong so far. We'll be able to take them, no problem," Sailor Jupiter confidently said.

"You said they're four of them right? Let's split up," Sailor Mars suggested.

"I had better look at that portal first. We don't want any surprises from it," Sailor Pluto said.

"That leaves seven of us, so two apiece except for one of us. Sailor Moon, you're the strongest one here. You take one on your own," Sailor Venus suggested.

Sailor Moon likewise looked to be on the verge of protesting, but didn't say anything.

"You four are more used to fighting together, so why don't I pair with Terra?" Tuxedo Kamen quickly added.

Sailor Terra could tell that Tuxedo Kamen's suggestion, while true enough, was more of a superficial attempt to justify pairing himself with her. However she also knew that he was a more effective fighter when paired with her so she didn't disagree.

"So you two take one. I'll go with Mercury to get another one, and Mars and Jupiter get the last one, okay? This will be as easy as shooting fish from a baby," Sailor Venus said.

"That should be shooting fish in a barrel," Sailor Mars reflexively corrected, "but sounds good to me."

The group jumped off of the roof they had been standing on and properly arranged themselves in front of the door to the warehouse. When Sailor Moon thought the timing was right she pushed the door open, letting the back-lighting from a nearby streetlamp stream into the building and cast their shadows across the room towards the four demons standing in front of a large, hovering, flickering ball of energy.

Pointing extravagantly at the humanoid creatures, Sailor Moon announced, "Warehouses are important buildings to store things for businesses. They shouldn't be used to hide your evil plans. In the name of the Moon..."

Sailor Mercury added, "Mercury..."

Sailor Mars added, "Mars..."

Sailor Jupiter added, "Jupiter..."

Sailor Venus added, "Venus..."

There was a brief pause while the other Sailor Senshi waited for Sailor Terra to add her voice to the introduction. She wasn't inclined to. Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Pluto remained silent as well.

Notwithstanding the slightly longer than expected gap, Sailor Moon finished, "We will punish you."

The speech, if silly, seemed to have put the demons off-balance. None of them moved until Sailor Moon had concluded it. Once she had finished, one of them shouted, "See? I told you!"

The fact that the demon spoke, and moreover was staring at them like a starving man might eye an all-you-can-eat buffet, put the Sailor Senshi off-balance as well. None of them moved until the demon who shouted charged at them. The other three demons joined in the attack just behind it.

The Sailor Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen scattered at the charge into their respective pairings. Most of them simply leaped away, although in the case of Sailor Moon it looked more like a lucky stumble which ended up putting her out of harm's way than anything else.

"Mercury, aim for the one on the right," Sailor Venus called out.

"We've got the one on the left," Sailor Jupiter agreed.

Sailor Terra and Tuxedo Kamen exchanged no words, both silently agreeing to take the one that had turned and charged at Tuxedo Kamen.

This left Sailor Moon with the last demon, which was stalking towards where she still sat after gracelessly falling over. She backed away as fast as her hands and feet would carry her, barely being missed by a pair of slashing claws. She shouted, "Help!"

Sailor Venus shot a quick Crescent Beam Smash in front of the demon advancing towards Sailor Moon, giving her some breathing space to regain her feet. Sailor Venus then turned back to the demon she and Sailor Mercury were facing, only to wind up looking at empty space. The demon had taken the brief opportunity when her back had been turned to escape from the pincer she and Sailor Mercury had set up on it and was now charging at Sailor Venus from the side.

"Shine Aqua Illusion!" Sailor Mercury called out, projecting a blast of magical water at the demon. While she didn't score a direct hit she did manage to wing it, catching its legs with the blast. This had enough force to knock it off course and send it spinning behind Sailor Venus.

Sailor Venus turned and let loose her attack shouting "Love-Me Chain!"

Sailor Venus's attack proved no more accurate but much more forgiving than Sailor Mercury's. The chain swept to the side of the creature, missing it barely, but rather than just ineffectually passing by her target at that point like Sailor Mercury's attack would have, the chain instead curved around and encircled the enemy, successfully trapping its legs.

Sailor Mercury tried again, shouting "Shine Aqua Illusion!"

Her second blast of water was far more effective than her first one, squarely hitting the inhibited and already injured demon, making it vanish into decomposing dust.

Both looked around to see if anybody needed any assistance.

Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Terra confronted their demon with much less fanfare. Sailor Terra pushed her mind through the semi-unnatural thought processes that the Psi-Techs used. The process was made substantially easier with the presence of Tuxedo Kamen, who shared the burden of the strange patterns she had to force her mind into. To aid in her mental exercise, she shouted, "Psi-Techs! Psi-Blade! Aura Shield!"

Sailor Terra would have preferred to just use what passed for her as basic martial arts, but with everybody fighting in such close proximity, the faster she could finish the fight the safer it would be for all involved.

The familiar sword Sailor Terra remembered appeared in her hand while a glowing aura emerged all around her. The sword was much more resolute than the one she had created during her fight with Zoisite. The aura surrounding her was also much more firm, and it was mirrored by a golden aura which had sprung up around Tuxedo Kamen as well.

Sailor Terra slowly edged to the side away from Tuxedo Kamen, trying to get to the side of the demon. The demon matched her movement by edging sideways as well, getting no closer to Sailor Terra but at the same time not allowing itself to be flanked either.

Tuxedo Kamen thought to himself and Sailor Terra that he was going to try to distract the creature to give Sailor Terra a chance to finish it off. He then did a standing jump over the demon, reaching into his cape and summoning a large handful of roses as he did so. As he passed over the demon he threw them down, stem first.

The demon didn't stand still and easily swept out of the way of the flowery projectiles. It then planted its feet firmly on the ground and launched itself in the direction of the descending Tuxedo Kamen.

Unfortunately this had the effect of making the demon turn its back on Sailor Terra. Prepared to take advantage of any oversight the demon might make during Tuxedo Kamen's attempt at distraction, this was more than enough of an opening for Sailor Terra. With the precision from a lifetime spent fighting, Sailor Terra chased after the demon with more agility than anybody in high-heels had any right to have.

Sailor Terra swung her glowing sword up with a speed demonstrating the usefulness of a mass-less blade and neatly cut the demon in half. The demon faded to powder as Sailor Terra charged through and stopped herself in a crouch. Just above her head, Tuxedo Kamen twisted neatly, landing on his feet facing Sailor Terra.

She got to her feet again and looked around the warehouse, seeing if anybody needed any assistance.

Unlike the others, Sailor Jupiter took the straightforward approach and directly assaulted the demon. Turning to face the opponent who had barely missed her moments before, she launched her attack, shouting, "Sparkling Wide Pressure!"

The demon hadn't recovered itself from its initial charge and was crouched facing away from both Sailor Senshi. It got up and turned around just in time to receive the ball of electricity straight into its chest. This held it shocked still long enough for Sailor Mars to shout, "Burning Mandala!"

Rings of flame surrounded Sailor Mars and then flew directly at her target, joining the electricity currently shocking the demon and immolating it on the spot. Once the flame cleared, all that could be seen of their opponent was a rapidly disintegrating pile of dust.

They checked the other fights to see if anybody needed any assistance.

Sailor Moon was having the hardest time of the fight. While Sailor Venus's beam had given Sailor Moon the space necessary to get to her feet, she was still being hard-pressed by her demon. She kept dodging, frequently tripping and flailing out of the way as much by luck as anything. In a sense it was a tribute towards the dependability of her friends that she was doing so poorly. She rarely had the need to fight solo against an enemy.

As heartwarming as that was, it also meant that she had never improved her abilities of fighting on her own much beyond the level she had had from when she had first met Luna and taken on the mantle of Sailor Moon.

Sailor Moon backed up, and started her attack. "Moon Spiral... Ack!" she cried as she was interrupted by the demon charging at her. She was forced to fall to the side and barely got away as the demon went through where she had stood a second ago.

"Moon Spir... Eep!" she cried again. She fell backward away from the demon, again narrowly avoiding being flayed by the creature. The demon, overbalanced, fell over the now missing Sailor Moon. An apparent coincidence of timing meant it got kicked by one of her flailing boots and flew over her.

The demon lay on the floor, a perfect chance to be hit if Sailor Moon hadn't also had her back on the floor. She scrambled to her feet, just in time to see the demon get to its feet as well. She readied her Spiral Moon Rod for the third time, and shouted, "Moon... Ahh!"

Interrupted for the third time, this time she leaped over the demon which had charged at her. She managed to get over the demon, although it did clip her feet and send her tumbling through the air. Whether by luck or by an unknown agility, Sailor Moon managed to land on her feet despite that.

"Ohh! Forget it!" she finally shouted. The next time as the demon turned and charged towards her she charged at it as well. As she closed she jumped into the air and kicked forward with all her might, shouting, "Sailor Moon Kick!"

It was a clumsy jump kick, demonstrating how much more time Sailor Moon had spent watching Sailor V on television than practicing martial arts in a dojo. Her position was all wrong, carrying almost no momentum, and if she had performed the same attack while not transformed against a prepared martial artist she would have been more liable break her own foot than hurt her intended target. However clumsy the attack was, though, it was more than adequate to channel the energy of the Ginzuishou directed through her foot into the demon, and the magic of the Sailor Senshi uniform ensured no lasting injury from her impromptu strike.

Her slight momentum combined with an incredibly magically charged boot hit the demon with more energy than it was prepared to accept, and as she kicked through the head of the demon it evaporated into dust. It would have made a mess of her uniform if the dust hadn't been evaporating as quickly as it was being deposited on her.

Bereft of the expected resistance of the demon's body, Sailor Moon was left off-balance and landed with a crash on the floor just behind where the demon used to be. She rolled forward on the ground head over heels twice before finally crashing to a stop on her stomach, arms splayed out.

"Owwie, owie, ow, ow," Sailor Moon whined. Then getting to her feet, she rubbed her head saying, "Oww, that hurt."

Sailor Moon looked around to see everybody staring at her, except Sailor Pluto who was standing with the Garnet Rod pointed at the portal and her face in deep concentration.

"What?" Sailor Moon asked at her unexpected audience.

"Nothing," Sailor Jupiter said. "Nothing at all."

"Meatball head," Sailor Mars could be heard to mutter.

"What's that behind you?" Sailor Terra asked, pointing.

"What?" Sailor Moon asked, turning around in a panic. Rather than a feared fifth demon instead she saw a large symbol drawn on the ground with various items placed around its perimeter. She reached over to pick up a metal box in the center of the symbol. "I don't know, but it looks important."

"That looks familiar for some reason," Sailor Terra said.

"Be careful," Sailor Mars said. "I don't know what it is but it's giving me a bad feeling."

"Wait. There's something in here," Sailor Moon said.

Sailor Moon then pulled open a small door on the side of the metal box and reached into it. She grabbed a slightly charred piece of cloth and pulled it out. She started to say, "It looks like..."

"A pair of panties?" Sailor Jupiter concluded in a question.

"They look used too," Sailor Venus commented in disgust on some of the obvious stains on them.

"Eww," Sailor Moon said, dropping it and the metal box quickly and then wiping her gloved hand against her skirt several times.

"I know where I've seen that before. That's one of Happosai's magic burner things," Sailor Terra said.

"It looks like these things were used in some kind of ritual," Sailor Mercury observed. "By the looks of them, they might have been used to summon that portal."

"I knew it. I just knew Happosai was behind all this. Probably trying to get revenge against me or something. Why didn't he just face me directly? I'd have been happy to pound him flat as many times as he wanted," Sailor Terra fumed.

"Well, maybe he doesn't want to be pounded flat," Sailor Venus said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Sailor Terra would have none of that justification. "That doesn't matter. Honor demands it. He's getting innocent people involved now. That's completely against the..."

"Watch out!" Sailor Pluto shouted, cutting her off. "The portal's acting strange. I think something's coming."

Everybody turned to look at the portal. They didn't notice anything different about it, but took up a defensive position anyway in response to Sailor Pluto's warning.

They were rewarded for this when mere seconds later the portal flared up and another demon came out across the room. Luckily it seemed disoriented from its sudden appearance, and the combined might of all of the Sailor Senshi blasting it with their respective attacks made quick work of it.

"What's going on Pluto? Is it safe to go in there yet?" Sailor Jupiter asked.

"I'm almost there. It's just a matter of... there. Dark Dome Open!" She shouted, stabbing the Garnet Rod into the unnatural floating ball. The tip of the staff disappeared into the hole and the portal stopped its fluctuations. It now gave off a constant amount of light like the strangest street lamp any of them had ever seen.

"I won't be able to hold it very long. If we're going in, we have to do it fast," Sailor Pluto said. "Hurry, there's another demon on the way too, I think."

"Just go. We can take care of it," Sailor Moon said.

"Okay everybody, let's go," Sailor Venus declared. Then putting actions to words, she then jumped into the portal.

"Right behind you," Sailor Mercury said, going through the portal herself.

"After you," Sailor Pluto said to Sailor Terra, still holding the end of the Garnet Rod in the portal.

Sailor Terra jumped in at Sailor Pluto's prompting. As she crossed through the portal, she felt the definite sensation of... something.

* * *

Last Updated: December 13, 2012


	4. Chapter 16

Chapter 16:

Sailor Mercury was busily scanning the region around her with her visor to gather whatever intelligence she could. Sailor Terra stood ready with her eyes darting in every direction to watch for any possible threat. Sailor Pluto maintained a focused concentration on the portal with her Garnet Rod pointed towards it. This left only Sailor Venus to actually observe the terrain around the four of them in anything resembling a casual manner.

What she saw didn't impress her.

It was clearly night time, but that was not to say it was dark. The bright full moon in the sky may have had a pattern on its surface completely alien to the moon Sailor Venus had long become familiar with, but it still did a reasonable job lighting the entire plain with its unearthly light.

It took a few seconds for Sailor Venus's eyes to adjust to the pale light of the moon, but once they did she could easily see all around her, albeit only in black and white contrasts. Rather than bringing comfort, the cold light only made what was already a desolate scene seem even more ominous.

The area around them was barren and flat. This wasn't barren like a desert or barren like D-point. Such lifelessness would have been depressing but understandable. What surrounded the quartet was ordinary dirt. Dirt which was almost completely devoid of life. The persistent weeds which somehow managed to find a way to grow in the garden plots of even the brownest-thumb gardeners were nowhere to be seen. In fact the only living things in sight were a couple of trees which had no flowers, fruits, leaves, or anything else besides bare wood. Sailor Venus wasn't sure that they were actually still alive.

What the plain lacked in life it tried to make up for with craters. There were several craters all around them, some circular and some at a parabolic angle into the ground. The impacts reminded Sailor Venus of what a battlefield might look like after the Sailor Senshi had had a particularly bad fight, especially after an encounter in which Sailor Uranus or Sailor Neptune missed a few times with their attacks. It gave her a bad feeling.

Sailor Venus's contemplation was interrupted when Sailor Mercury said, "I'm detecting several power sources."

"Several of them? Didn't you say we were just looking for one?" asked Sailor Venus.

"It was hard to detect them through the portal. The phase shift garbled all of the energy sources into one big mess. Over here it's a lot clearer and I'm seeing several different ones all around us now," Sailor Mercury said.

"Are there any near us?" asked Sailor Terra, still looking around in a ready stance.

"I'm not reading anything too close to us. The biggest source is the one I detected before and it's over in that direction, maybe five kilometers away," Sailor Mercury said, pointing in the distance. "In addition there are maybe a dozen other smaller groups around it. It's almost like they're forming a loose perimeter around the big one. The closest one of those is about three kilometers over that way," Sailor Mercury said, pointing in almost the exact opposite direction. "That one seems to match the energy signature of those demons we've been fighting." 

"So they're the enemy?" Sailor Terra asked for confirmation. She maintained her steady examination of the area all around her throughout Sailor Mercury's description.

"That stands to reason. Most likely they're the ones who've been coming through the portal. I'm detecting lots of small patrols everywhere. My guess is they sent out some scouts to form a perimeter around their main body and some of those scouts stumbled across the portal here. As the main body got closer, more scouts found this place," Sailor Mercury said.

"So how long do we have until the whole group arrives?" Sailor Venus asked.

"At their current speed we have a few hours before they reach their projected closest point, about a kilometer that way," Sailor Mercury said, pointing off in a third direction. "I suggest we use that time to examine that big power source as we originally planned."

The group of four set out, traveling at a speed somewhere between a brisk walk and a slow jog. They could have moved much faster but they were trying to avoid any unnecessary risk and attention. To that end, Sailor Mercury took the lead, using her computer and visor to avoid the sparse patrols all around them as they weaved around the plains. The task was made easier by how much faster they were moving than the demons, but the complete absence of any cover besides the occasional small hill or straggly tree still made it tricky.

The group had been traveling for several minutes when Sailor Terra suddenly interrupted their silence asking, "Did anybody else hear that?"

"Hear what?" asked Sailor Venus, perking up her ears.

"I thought I heard a voice," said Sailor Terra.

"What voice?" Sailor Venus asked. She still heard nothing.

Sailor Terra was quiet for a few seconds before concluding, "Nothing. Never mind."

Sailor Venus was able to make out a large structure in the direction they were walking towards from quite some distance away. As they approached it slowly resolved itself into the form of a castle, and it was obviously the target that Sailor Mercury was leading the four of them towards.

As they drew near to the castle Sailor Terra stumbled, clutching at her head as she did so. She managed to keep to her feet, but the stumble was obvious enough to grab the attention of even Sailor Mercury despite the fact she was still in front of the other three.

"Are you alright?" Sailor Mercury turned and asked.

"I think so. What was that?" asked Sailor Terra, shaking her head.

"What was what? You just stumbled from what I saw," said Sailor Venus.

"You mean you didn't hear that?" Sailor Terra asked in voice of exasperation.

"I didn't hear anything," answered Sailor Venus.

"What did you hear?" Sailor Mercury asked.

"It sounded..." Sailor Terra began, before pausing for a second. She then quickly looked around and loudly demanded, "Who's there?"

"Where?" asked Sailor Venus, looking around as well. "What's going on? You're starting to scare me."

"What help do you need? Where are you?" Sailor Terra asked loudly.

"Hold on. I'm detecting something strange," Sailor Mercury said, looking towards the castle.

"I'm Ra... I mean Sailor Terra," Sailor Terra said, acting completely oblivious to all the others. "Whoa, hold it. Slow down... I..."

Sailor Terra fell over clutching her ears and screaming louder than any of the Sailor Senshi had heard before. Sailor Venus was immediately at her side.

"Hang on, Terra. We need some help here, Mercury. What's happening to her?" Sailor Venus asked. She held the red haired Sailor Senshi, trying to comfort her as best she could.

"She's undergoing a psychic attack," Sailor Pluto said. Neither Sailor Venus nor Sailor Mercury questioned how she knew this.

"So what should we do then?" Sailor Mercury asked.

"There's nothing we can do for her. She needs to handle this on her own. Let's move her somewhere safe," Sailor Pluto said.

"Let's head to the castle then. It's close enough, and if the demons are surrounding it then maybe its inhabitants are friendly. Something might come and investigate that scream, and I definitely don't want to run into anything out here like this," Sailor Venus said.

Sailor Mercury and Sailor Pluto agreed. Sailor Mercury went to the front again, and Sailor Pluto helped Sailor Venus carry the incapacitated Sailor Terra. She was no longer clutching her head or screaming, but had instead gone completely catatonic. This ironically made Sailor Venus feel even more worried.

* * *

Ever since she had stepped through the portal in that warehouse Sailor Terra had felt slightly off. It felt like she was being watched, and she could feel the same sense of imminent attack that she had long grown accustomed to from the almost daily fights she had experienced in Nerima. As a result she spent all her time looking around, searching for potential threats. She couldn't see any immediate dangers around her but she was sure there was something out there. Even when Sailor Mercury said there was nothing nearby, Sailor Terra couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. She refused to let her guard down as they traveled to the large power source that Sailor Mercury had found.

As they started approaching the power source, Sailor Terra thought she heard an extremely faint, "... help... lon..."

"Did anybody else hear that?" Sailor Terra asked.

"Hear what?" asked Sailor Venus in return.

"I thought I heard a voice," Sailor Terra explained.

"What voice?" Sailor Venus asked.

Sailor Terra strained her ears for a few seconds before concluding, "Nothing. Never mind."

As they got closer to their target, it became apparent that the source of the power Sailor Mercury was detecting was to be found in a castle on a hill. Its construction of walls, crenellations, and keep were all different to anything she had seen in Japan or China, but their purpose was obvious upon even casual inspection.

Sailor Terra was about to comment on this when she was almost blown off of her feet as a piercing voice shouted at her. "Sad! Anybody there!? Alone! All gone! Anybody help!? Nobody here!"

It was as if somebody had shouted into a megaphone right behind Sailor Terra's head. She clutched her head in pain and fell forward a bit but managed to keep her feet.

"Are you alright?" Sailor Mercury asked.

"I think so. What was that?" asked Sailor Terra, shaking her head and trying to hear past the ringing in her head. Whatever it was it seemed to be gone now.

"What was what? You just stumbled from what I saw," Sailor Venus said.

"You mean you didn't hear that?" Sailor Terra asked, exasperated. That really worried her. How could they not have heard that?

"I didn't hear anything," Sailor Venus declared.

"What did you hear?" asked Sailor Mercury.

"It sounded..." Sailor Terra started explaining before being interrupted.

"Anybody out there!? They're coming! Told can't! They're coming!" the voice shouted again, just as loud as before.

Sailor Terra was expecting it this time so managed to brace herself against it. She loudly asked back, "Who's there?"

"Where?" Sailor Venus asked, looking around as well. "What's going on? You're starting to scare me."

"Help! Anybody?!" the voice shouted, so loud as to make it impossible for Sailor Terra to even think about what Sailor Venus had said.

"What help do you need?" Sailor Terra asked. Then in a louder voice, she continued, "Where are you?"

"Somebody there! There's somebody there!! Who you?! You where?! Help here?!" the voice shouted disjointedly.

"Hold on. I'm detecting something strange," Sailor Mercury said, sounding like it was coming from a long distance away. Sailor Terra wasn't paying any attention to her. It was hard to think about anything besides the omnipresent voice.

"I'm Ra..." Sailor Terra started saying before correcting herself, "I mean Sailor Terra."

"Hello Sailor Terra! Are you nice?! Seem nice! Very nice! Nice people help! Help! You help! Help! They're coming! Now!" Whatever said that seemed to be slowly honing in on her. The volume of the voice was increasing beyond that already impossibly loud shout, and the sense of being watched rapidly increased until it felt like the entire world was focused on her.

"Whoa, hold it. Slow down," Sailor Terra said in a panic.

"Slow down? Slow down?! No! No! No! No! Not slow! Fast! They're coming! Coming! Coming now!" the voice demanded, shouting faster and faster.

"I..." Sailor Terra tried again. The omnipresent presence was overwhelming. It was like being in Mamoru's presence except while Mamoru's presence inspired a deceptive sense warmth and comfort, this voice only inspired loneliness, fear, and despair in overwhelming intensity.

"HURRY! COME! COME NOW! THEY'RE HERE! GOING TO BE HERE! HELP! HELP! COME! HELP!"

The spotlight of the voice focused all of its energy on her, taking the beam and increasing it to what felt like millions of watts. It was searing in intensity, overwhelming Sailor Terra and eliminating all room in her mind to consider anything but it.

Sailor Terra numbly fell to the ground, knowing it intellectually more than actually feeling her body slump to the floor. In the distance, she could also hear somebody screaming. Who was screaming? Was that her? Why was she screaming?

The last thing she heard from the vast distance was a whisper of somebody shouting, "Hang on Terra. We need some..."

* * *

Sailor Terra opened her eyes. She then immediately closed them again against the overwhelming light all around her.

She was surrounded by a cold, harsh, florescent glare, as bright as a spotlight focusing all of its attention on her in the middle of a pitch black night. Beyond the sheer pain she felt when trying to look around her, she felt decidedly uncomfortable and exposed in its excruciating intensity. Even with her eyes closed she had to cover them with her hands to reduce the light to a bright but bearable level.

"Who are you?" a disembodied voice came from all around her. Unlike the harsh light surrounding her the voice was much less overwhelming. It was still far too intense and was decidedly uncomfortable to experience, but still it was noticeably less painful than the overbearing light. In fact it sounded like a perky over-energetic child which somehow surrounded her while screaming in a loud shout.

"I'm..." Sailor Terra peeked her eyes open to look down at herself briefly to confirm what guise she currently appeared to be in, but then had to quickly slam them shut against the glare again, "Sailor Terra. Who are you?"

"It's... don't know," the voice said. "Far so long."

"Where are you then?" Sailor Terra tried asking.

"Gone. All gone," the voice answered instead, a touch of panic coming through over the loudness. "Where are they? Too quiet. Don't alone."

"Who's gone?" Sailor Terra asked.

The voice paused. Paused for a long time. It eventually said, "Don't know."

"Okay..." Sailor Terra said hesitantly, not sure how to deal with a seemingly insane and forgetful child. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"They left. Or did they? So long. So long. They came and they left and they came back. They came back so they left and they didn't come back. They're coming back but they aren't here," the voice said. Sailor Terra almost imagined she could hear some sorrow in the voice despite the loudness of it.

Sailor Terra thought being around Happosai, and Kodachi, and Tatewaki, and actually most of the people in Nerima for that matter, would have prepared her to understand all sorts of insane mutterings. She was apparently very much mistaken.

Sailor Terra tried again, asking, "Who's coming? Is it those things all around us?"

"Yes," the voice confirmed. "They want in. They want it, but can't. Said so. Why won't they tell me?"

"Do you need some help?" Sailor Terra hesitantly offered. She felt like she was finally getting somewhere.

"Yes. I need help, but why would you?" the voice accused.

"Because I'm..." Sailor Terra started, then trailed off. Why would she help? Because she was a Sailor Senshi? Because she was a sailor suited defender of love and justice? She refused to think that and instead said, "I'm a martial artist. That's what we do. We help people."

"Is that what it is?" the voice asked. "I think they were martial artists too. They always said things like that. Didn't they?"

"So, how can I help you?" Sailor Terra asked.

The voice took on a sharper edge to it, saying, "They're coming to get it. We can't let them. They said not to let them. It's very important."

"Get what?" Sailor Terra asked.

"Come here," the voice said, not answering her question at all.

"Come where? Where are you?" Sailor Terra asked. She was definitely getting frustrated by the confusing half-answers and non-answers she kept getting from the unidentified voice.

"You're already here," the voice said, amused.

"I am?" Sailor Terra asked. She cracked her eyes open again to look around. The painfully blinding light still surrounded her from all sides, causing her to give a squeak of pain and re-shut her eyes.

The voice softened a bit and asked, "Oh, I'm sorry. Am I doing this right?"

"Doing what right?" Sailor Terra asked.

"This. Communicating. Socializing. Interacting," the voice said.

"It's maybe a bit overwhelming, I guess," Sailor Terra said.

"Oh. Okay. I'm sorry," the voice said in a much, much quieter voice.

The pressure surrounding Sailor Terra, which she hadn't even been aware of until it lessened, slowly lifted away from her.

* * *

Sailor Terra opened her eyes. She was immediately greeted with a pounding headache.

Above her was a stone ceiling, which was a surprise as she had been expecting to see an open field and dark sky rather than masonry.

Her headache was slowly fading away.

It was strange. The ceiling was made of stone. Stone was hard. On the other hand she was lying on something nice and soft. And warm.

She tilted her head back found herself staring at a blue ribbon hanging from some white cloth. Above it was Sailor Venus's face. Something about that struck her as odd. She turned her head to the side and saw she was on an orange pillow.

Orange... blue ribbon... warm pillow... Sailor Venus's head...

Sailor Terra almost jumped out of Sailor Venus's lap. Her sudden movement caused the blood to rush out of her head, compounding her residual headache and leaving her momentarily dizzy. She put her hand against her head and leaned on a wall, waiting for the white static in front of her eyes to fade away.

"You're awake now," Sailor Venus said, stating the obvious. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel fine," Sailor Terra answered automatically, despite the pounding in her head and the dizziness she currently felt.

The white fuzz in front of Sailor Terra's eyes gradually faded away until color returned and let her look around in more detail. She was in a large stone room. Given its size and layout she guessed it was the entrance of the castle they had seen before. While Ranma hadn't seen many castles on his training journey, Akana had been in a fair number of them in her time.

"What happened?" Sailor Mercury asked.

"No idea," Sailor Terra said. "I was talking to somebody. At least I think I was."

"Did you hit your head too hard? There's nobody here. We checked," said Sailor Venus.

"You promised you'd help. You aren't going to be a liar are you? You aren't going to go away are you?" Sailor Terra heard the same disembodied voice that had been plaguing her earlier say. It was much less painful than before and its volume could almost be considered normal.

"What do you mean 'nobody's here'? Are you kidding me? Then what's that voice?" Sailor Terra asked, gesturing all around her at the directionless voice.

Sailor Venus looked at Sailor Mercury, who shook her head in response. Sailor Venus said slowly, "Are you hearing voices, because that's usually not a good sign."

"It's probably some kind of telepathic contact," Sailor Pluto said before things could continue. "The Earth royal family in the past had always been gifted with psionic ability like your Psi-Techs, especially empathic siblings."

Sailor Terra was thinking of asking Sailor Pluto how she knew all this when the voice said with an urgent tone, "Hurry. They're coming."

"Well whatever it is, it's saying we need to hurry. Something's coming," Sailor Terra repeated for the benefit of the others.

Sailor Mercury quickly engaged her visor and looked around. Even on the other side of the display Sailor Terra could see several lights show up in the visor, although she had no idea what they meant.

"There is something out there. A lot of somethings, and they're coming this way," Sailor Mercury confirmed.

"Then we'd better hurry and do whatever it is we're supposed to be doing. Anybody know what that's supposed to be?" Sailor Venus asked.

"Hurry, hurry," the voice said. "In here, in here."

"In where?" Sailor Terra asked out loud.

"In here," the voice said. Along with the voice Sailor Terra got the mental image of how the castle was laid out. The image was nothing as superficial as an image of blueprints. It was rather like a full three-dimensional map of the entire building, complete with the intuition of how to navigate it as if she had lived there her whole life.

Suddenly the place the voice was referring to made obvious sense.

"This way," Sailor Terra said and started leading the way towards one of the side rooms.

She led them through the twists and turns of the building, noticing the various scrapes and patches which had been made in the stone as she went. They all had some kind of emotional attachment to them, like they meant something to somebody at some point, but that somebody wasn't her and she had no idea what the stories behind the damage to the stonework were.

The juxtaposition of the familiarity of the building along with the fact that Sailor Terra had never been here before felt uncanny and incredibly eerie.

All the while, Sailor Terra was prodded by the mysterious voice to go faster. "This way. Hurry. Hurry. No, not that way, here. This way. Yes. Here."

The voice might not have been directly painful anymore but it was certainly pressure inducing. Moreover, even more than pressure inducing, it was sheer nerve-wrackingly annoying.

The four Sailor Senshi eventually made they way to the heart of the castle. Turning down a seemingly ordinary corridor, Sailor Terra stopped at a seemingly ordinary section of wall. The voice was almost hysterical now, shouting, "Yes! Yes! Here! There! You push that! And do that thing! There!"

"Yes, yes, I know, I know," Sailor Terra said, seemingly into the thin air as far as the other three Sailor Senshi were concerned. With the hesitancy of a computer password which hasn't actually been typed out for months, Sailor Terra pushed a sequence of stones along the wall. This caused a section of the wall to recede and slide to the side, revealing a small jagged doorway into a small room.

The room looked and felt very different to the worn and familiar stone they had been traveling through thus far. It was cold and metallic, bathed in a frosty bluish light. The source of the illumination was a large gemstone, radiating light and power so strongly that she was sure even Sailor Venus could feel it despite having neither Sailor Mercury's sophisticated equipment nor Sailor Terra's advanced martial arts training and psionic talents.

"What is it?" Sailor Venus asked in a hushed voice.

Sailor Mercury had her visor up and was furiously typing into her computer.

"The heart of the empire. I've been protecting it for one, two, three... I can't remember. They said to never let them have it before they went away. Why did they go away? It's been so lonely here," the voice said.

"It said it's the heart of an empire," Sailor Terra repeated, answering Sailor Venus's question.

"That looks almost like a heart crystal," Sailor Venus said.

"I didn't think an empire could even have a heart crystal," Sailor Terra said hesitantly. She certainly couldn't remember anything like that from the Silver Millennium, but the study of heart crystals had been something of a forbidden field, for obvious reasons.

"It was probably talking more metaphorically than literally. That crystal is so much stronger than any of the heart crystals we've seen before that I doubt it really is one, even if it does seem similar. It's the power source that I've been detecting all this time," said Sailor Mercury. She continued to type into her computer as she spoke.

"Is that the thing that those things outside have been looking for? That means we can't let them have it, right?" Sailor Venus asked, reaching out for the glowing crystal.

As her hand approached the gem, the room flared brightly for a second and literally blew Sailor Venus out of the room and across the hallway. She flew through the air and hit the wall opposite the door at an odd angle. The energy surge was strong enough that even Sailor Terra felt it wash over her despite the fact she was standing in the hallway outside the door.

"No touch!" the voice shouted, concurrently with the flare. The previously moderately bright light in the room had now dimmed to be substantially darker than it had been before the attack.

"Owie owe owe. What hit me?" asked Sailor Venus as she picked herself up off the ground. It was clear that her head was still spinning from the assault she had just withstood. Meanwhile, in the room, the now dim lighting was slowly regaining its previous level of luminosity.

"I don't like you! You ignore me!" the voice continued to shout.

"What do you mean?" Sailor Terra asked. She covered her ears although it didn't seem to have any effect against the once again painfully loud voice.

"They don't talk. They're mean. Make them go away," the voice answered.

"I was just touching it and then I don't know what happened. I think I'm okay, though," Sailor Venus answered at the same time.

Sailor Terra uncovered her ears to better hear Sailor Venus. It wasn't like covering them did anything against the omnipresent voice in the first place, after all.

"No, I meant..." Sailor Terra started saying, but then changed her mind. "Never mind. It says it doesn't like you."

"They're coming. Hurry! Hurry!" the voice urged on.

"Doesn't like me? What doesn't like me?" Sailor Venus asked.

"Whoa, slow down both of you!" Sailor Terra shouted. "That voice I'm hearing says it doesn't like you because you're ignoring it."

"It's probably been trying to communicate psychically with everybody, but you're the only one who actually talked back to it," Sailor Mercury suggested.

"It's also saying that whatever those things out there are they're coming and we need to hurry," Sailor Terra said.

Sailor Mercury typed something into her computer causing the display to visibly change. She confirmed, "It looks like there are five groups converging right now."

"Hurry! Hurry!" the voice continued to urge.

"So what do we want to do?" Sailor Pluto asked the group in general.

"Isn't it obvious? We fight," Sailor Venus said.

"There's hundreds of them out there, maybe thousands," Sailor Mercury said. "We can't fight them all."

"So what? We fight for love and justice. We'll prevail, for sure," Sailor Venus said triumphantly.

"But for how long? Hours? Days? Weeks? Even if we can fight them off it's not like we can stay here forever," Sailor Mercury retorted.

"So you're saying we need to run away then?" Sailor Terra asked. She wondered if she might be able to modify the Saotome Secret Technique to work against multiple enemies who didn't understand Japanese.

"What about me! You said you'd help! They said they must never get it!" the voice persistently reminded her. It was getting confusing to Sailor Terra to try to follow the multiple concurrent conversations.

"What about that gem?" Sailor Mercury coincidentally asked. "We can't risk letting those demons get something that strong."

"We'll just need to take it with us," Sailor Pluto said.

"But it won't let us near it," Sailor Venus said, rubbing her still sore shoulder.

"Why are you waiting? Aren't you going to take it? Hurry! Before one of the mean ones try again!" the voice said again.

"I think it might let me," suggested Sailor Terra.

"You were the one who was led here for whatever reason, so I guess it's worth a try," Sailor Mercury said.

Sailor Terra slowly approached the gem. Sailor Mercury and especially Sailor Venus were far more nervous than she was as she reached out and carefully picked up the crystal. The gem flared up in power, causing the other two Sailor Senshi to preemptively wince in pain.

The gem emitted a slightly brighter glow and then disappeared. Concurrently Sailor Terra felt a glow within her. It was different than the feeling she had with Mamoru, and very different than the stark coldness of that disembodied voice. It felt comforting, like a warm blanket on a cold winter day.

When the expected thump failed to occur Sailor Venus and Sailor Mercury slowly opened their eyes. They saw Sailor Terra standing with outstretched hand and confused look on her face.

"What happened?" Sailor Venus asked.

"I'm not sure. The gem kind of glowed then disappeared," Sailor Terra explained.

"It looked like you absorbed it," Sailor Pluto said.

"Isn't that kind of dangerous?" Sailor Venus asked worriedly.

Sailor Mercury looked thoughtful, and answered, "I don't think so. It might have been a lot stronger but that thing still was similar to a heart crystal. You remember how Chibi-Usa's heart crystal was consumed by Sailor Saturn, and..."

"She did what?!" shouted Sailor Terra in surprise and alarm. She had heard rumors about Sailor Saturn, but didn't think any of them were actually true. She would seriously need to reconsider ignoring the time Akane spent with Hotaru.

"She wasn't in control of herself. It's a long story," Sailor Mercury explained. "The important thing is she had a second heart crystal in her and it didn't cause any harm."

"We'd better move," Sailor Pluto interjected. "We don't have much time."

"You're right, of course," Sailor Mercury agreed. "They're almost at the gate."

Sailor Venus and Sailor Terra needed no more prompting. Sailor Terra once again led the way as they ran for the exit of the castle. As they ran Sailor Mercury checked the location of all of the enemies in her visor and gave updates as they went. It looked like a whole army had just arrived and was right at the entrance to the castle, but they might be able to just get past them if they hurried. They sprinted as fast as their high-heel shoes would let them in their magically enhanced bodies.

They were almost to the main hallway when Sailor Mercury slipped and took a bad fall. The impact with the ground didn't cause her any serious injury, but waiting for her to regain her feet slowed the group down. Critically so. So much so that by the time they reached the entrance several demons were already making their way in.

One of the larger ones pointed at the group and shouted something which Sailor Terra couldn't make out. Regardless of what it was, though, the smaller demons seemed to take notice and the dozen or so who had already entered the castle all charged at the four Sailor Senshi.

Sailor Terra refused to copy one of the powers of the other Sailor Senshi present. It was a matter of principle. Instead she simply cupped her hands in preparation and shouted, "Mouko Takabisha!"

The large blast of ki, far larger than anything she could have imagined creating while not transformed, barreled forward directly at the advancing demons, breaking their charge and forcing them to scatter.

Sailor Pluto used the opportunity of their momentary distraction to swing her Garnet Rod at the demons and whisper, "Dead Scream." From the tip of the staff a large ball of energy manifested and then flew directly at a demon, hitting it squarely in the chest and causing it to vaporize.

Sailor Mercury and Sailor Venus tried to follow Sailor Pluto's example. They missed. Both of their shots went wide of their intended targets. Sailor Venus's Crescent Beam almost managed to graze her target whereas Sailor Mercury's Shine Aqua Illusion was a complete miss. It was an indication of their odds and how much trouble they faced that both shots still managed to hit two different demons behind their intended targets despite this, vaporizing them just as effectively as Sailor Pluto's Dead Scream.

The three killed demons were replaced by a dozen more charging through the giant doors at the end of the hallway. The eight remaining demons from the first wave who had been scattered by Sailor Terra's earlier shot had also regrouped and as a cohesive mass they lunged forward again.

By this time the four Sailor Senshi had recovered enough to launch another volley of energy attacks. This time their aim was true and four more demons disappeared into piles of dust. Unfortunately this did little to break the charge of the remaining demons who continued to surge forward and engaged the four Sailor Senshi once in melee range.

Sailor Terra easily sidestepped one of the attackers and hit it with a vicious strike to the back of the head as it charged past, knocking it to the floor. From there it was quick work to dust the immobile demon.

Sailor Pluto on the other hand didn't even bother dodging and instead swung her Garnet Rod upward, catching her attacking demon square on the chin. The magically reinforced staff magnified the strength of the strike a hundredfold and the demon faded into dust.

Sailor Venus and Sailor Mercury had far less luck against their respective attackers. Sailor Venus jumped back from her assailant's strike, cleanly avoiding being hurt but ceding ground without any injury to the demon. Sailor Mercury tried to do the same but was much less agile. The tear marks on her skintight uniform left from the demon's claws showed exactly how close she had come to being disemboweled.

Sailor Terra and Sailor Pluto saw what had happened and moved to join and rescue their companions. In a situation like this to be separated was to be surrounded, overwhelmed, and killed. The two demons were fully concentrated on their would-be victims and were easily dispatched by the two rescuers. Despite this the fallen demons were quickly replaced by more from the entrance, and the previous dozen demons who had entered earlier were already charging forward at them.

The four Sailor Senshi regrouped and launched another volley at the attacking demons. Their combined attack was just as effective as their previous one in that four more demons turned to dust and faded away, but as a practical matter their attack had no effect. The numbers were not only replaced but reinforced by more reinforcements from the entrance, and the reassembled mass lurched forward under the orders of one of the bigger demons.

The end result was very much the same as the previous attack, and the four Sailor Senshi found themselves even further from the exit.

"So anybody have any ideas how we're going to get out of here?" Sailor Venus asked during a pause in the fighting.

Sailor Terra thought through the castle layout more carefully and noticed something she had ignored in their mad dash earlier. Something about the throne room called out to her and demanded her attention. It was only upon careful consideration of it that she realized why. "I think there's another exit out back."

"Do you know where it is?" Sailor Mercury asked.

"I think so. It's near the throne room," Sailor Terra said. Presumably the throne room would be the final place where the leaders would stand their ground, and would be the last place to fall in an assault such as this.

"Which way is it?" Sailor Venus asked.

"The fastest way should be that way," said Sailor Terra, pointing over to a door on the side of the hallway. Unfortunately the throng of demons had gotten far enough to prevent a clear run to the doorway. Unfortunately for the demons that is. There were only three of them between the Sailor Senshi the door.

"Everybody ready?" Sailor Venus asked.

"I am," Sailor Mercury said.

"Yes," said Sailor Pluto.

"Right," agreed Sailor Terra.

"Let's go!" shouted Sailor Venus, who then shot a Crescent Beam straight at the demons.

Much like Sailor Terra's first attack, the goal of the strike wasn't to kill the demons as much as to scatter and disorient them. The beam hit the ground in the center of the three of them, knocking one off of its feet and causing the two others to leap away. The four Sailor Senshi charged forward towards the newly created opening.

Once in the hallway and safely past the demons Sailor Mercury paused briefly, turned, and summoned a Shine Aqua Illusion directly towards the ground at the doorway. This covered the ground with a thick layer of ice, which had the side effect of freezing to the ground the demon Sailor Venus had knocked over earlier. It wouldn't stop their pursuers, but it might slow them down enough to let the Sailor Senshi get away cleanly.

Sailor Terra once again took the lead as they ran through the halls of the castle, this time heading for the throne room as quickly as they could. Every so often she would turn around and look behind them, expecting to see a group of snarling demons hot on their heels. Each time she turned to check, though, she saw nothing, and besides some loud snarling and howling there was no sign of any pursuit. However this was of scant comfort. Given the number of turns they made down the corridor this only meant there were no demons a dozen or so meters directly behind them; she could see no farther than that. Despite the fact that the blocked lines of sight meant that the absence of obvious pursuit had only limited meaning, it was still a small comfort to know that they weren't in immediate danger of being overwhelmed.

Sailor Terra led the others through the castle with the same familiarity and proficiency that she might have had of the Tendo home, and they were at the throne room in what could have been record time. She ran over to one of the large drapes hanging in a back corner. Once there, much like at the unmarked corridor which hid the crystal she had obtained earlier, she hesitated in thought. She then hesitated some more and tried to figure out what she was supposed to be doing.

"This place? What are you doing here?" the still unidentified voice asked Sailor Terra, not sounding half as overpowering and loud as before.

"We couldn't get out the main way. There's supposed to be an exit here, right?" Sailor Terra asked.

"Got me. You were the one who led us here," said Sailor Venus.

"Oh, I had forgotten. Nobody's visited that part of me since forever. More forever than they've been gone forever," the voice, apparently the castle itself, said.

"How do we get out?" Sailor Terra asked, ignoring Sailor Venus.

"You do that thing, with that, and then do that," the castle declared. For some reason it sounded much happier than it had before.

As the castle spoke, in a flash the knowledge came to Sailor Terra. She pulled on one of the stones, virtually identical to all the others, and pushed the recessed door inward revealing the cleverly concealed passage. She was about to enter it when Sailor Mercury's computer gave a shrill series of beeps.

Sailor Mercury pushed a few buttons and the view on her visor shifted. She quickly saw what had caused the alarm and said, "We have a problem."

"What is it?" Sailor Venus asked.

"It looks like one of the armies is about to enter the portal back to our world. They're right next to it and are heading in its direction. I'd guess a vanguard is already through it and the main body will be there any minute," Sailor Mercury said.

"So what do we do now?" Sailor Venus asked. "There's no way we can get back there in time to close the portal, even if we could fight through hundreds of those things."

"I don't know," Sailor Mercury said.

"I might be able to make a portal back to our timeline here," Sailor Pluto said.

"What good will that do? It's not like that will stop the invasion," Sailor Terra said. She pictured hundreds, maybe thousands, of those demons flooding the streets of Tokyo, and she didn't like what she saw.

"At least we can get out. Once we're all safely on the other side we should be able to close the portal from our side," Sailor Mercury said.

"Invasion?" Sailor Terra heard the castle ask.

"It's not a simple process, and I'll need to stay here to anchor the passage on this side to create the connection to our base timeline. It's risky," Sailor Pluto said.

"There's an army out there going through some weird portal and invading our world," Sailor Terra explained to the castle.

"Yeah. It's not like we can sit here and do nothing while our world gets destroyed," Sailor Venus agreed.

"Weird portal? You mean that temporal fluctuation nearby?" the castle asked.

"Agreed," Sailor Pluto said. She held her staff in front of her and closed her eyes in concentration.

"Yes," Sailor Terra said.

"Then that's easy. Now that you took my source of power out from my core I finally get to die. When I die, I'll go boom. The energy it's going to release should destabilize all temporal phasic phenomena," the castle said, far happier than Ranma would have expected of something talking about its own death. Then again it did seem to be at least half insane, although even so she wondered what could make it so desperate as to look to suicide as a pleasant alternative to living. Maybe it was just that the strange entity had a strange set of values.

"The portal's ready, let's go," announced Sailor Pluto. Her staff was pointed at an odd hole hovering in the middle of the air. The hole was similar to but much smaller and more sharply defined than the portal which had brought them to this war-torn world.

"Wait, what? When?" Sailor Terra asked.

"I assume now, unless there's a reason to stay here. What about you, Pluto? How will you get back?" Sailor Mercury asked.

"Oh, any second now," the castle said proudly.

"Don't worry about me," Sailor Pluto said. "I can find my way back using the Gates of Time as a beacon. At least I should be able to."

"When were you planning on telling us that?" Sailor Terra all but shouted. Unlike the much more subdued and happy castle she was decidedly not happy at the castle's abrupt revelation.

"She just did. Why? Is that a problem?" Sailor Venus asked.

"Was that important?" the castle asked.

Sailor Terra shouted to the others, "We've got to hurry! This place is about to..."

It would be the last thing Sailor Terra would remember.

* * *

Last Updated: December 13, 2012


	5. Chapter 17

Chapter 17:

Normally Ami found it difficult to sleep through pain, the distracting aching serving as an inducement to move into a less uncomfortable position. This pain was different. It surrounded her and filled her with a complacent lethargy that said that she really could just lie there and let oblivion take her. It was a very strange sensation she would have been happy to contemplate if only she hadn't been so tired.

The tapping on her cheek would have none of that.

That was another strange sensation. Given how much her body hurt, she was surprised that she could still notice the light, persistent sensation on her face.

Tap, tap, tap. "Come on, Ami-chan, wake up." Tap, tap. "Come on."

She tried to shoo away the nuisance, but found it too much trouble to move her arm and instead decided to treat herself to what little comfort she could find in lying still. Truth be told there was scant comfort to be found in that position, but it was much less effort than the alternative.

Why did she even hurt anyway? The last thing she remembered was walking towards a strange castle on a hill, leading Sailor Venus and Sailor Pluto, who were carrying an unconscious Sailor Terra, between numerous demon patrols. Is that what had happened? Had they been caught in an ambush? Had she failed everybody?

No, that wasn't quite right. Ami's mind repeatedly played through the last thing she could remember, each iteration getting just a bit further. There was the castle. Then following Sailor Terra to the strange gem which was so similar to a heart crystal. Sailor Venus's incident trying to retrieve it. Sailor Terra's success. Trying to get out of the castle.

Failing to do so. That caused Ami to worry.

Fighting to get out but being hit by wave after wave of attackers. That really caused Ami to worry. They could still be in danger.

She forced her eyes open and pushed herself to her feet with all of the urgency she could muster, which was to say she quietly groaned and slowly sat up. Her head was spinning and her whole body protested at the action but she still managed to reach a sitting position.

Dark splotches kept swimming in front of her eyes, making it hard for her to get her bearings, but as she looked around they were slowly lightening and disappearing. She did her best to see around the gaps in her vision to survey her immediate surroundings.

The area around her was spartan, but unlike the world she had seen when she had first passed through the portal in the warehouse this one didn't have the same feelings of desolation and despair. A warm sun shone down from a blue sky, giving the suggestion of either a late morning or an early evening. The ground was rocky, but unlike that other world there were no craters of upturned earth. It was dotted with sparse vegetation, and the absence of any more substantial life seemed more like a choice enforced by the dictates of the local environment than an imposition caused by the scars of war.

Much to her relief, there didn't seem to be any imminent danger or threat. A couple of feet away stood Ranma, while Minako knelt just behind Ami.

"Ugh," Ami groaned out. Then more coherently she asked, "Does anybody remember what happened?"

"Not me. The last thing I remember was facing all those things at the exit of the castle," Minako said.

"Last thing I remember was Pluto opening up some kind of portal thingy," Ranma said. "More important than that, do any of you know where we are?"

"No idea," Minako announced first again, both cheerfully and proudly. "Do you know, Ami-chan?"

Ami took another look around her. There weren't any buildings in sight, and with no distinguishing characteristics the rocky hill they were on could have been almost anywhere. The only notable thing she saw was her henshin rod and the Mercury Computer laying on the ground beside her. That was slightly strange, and vaguely worrying, but she didn't pay it too much attention as she picked up both.

There was nothing to do for it except to get more information. She said, "Let me check."

She opened her trusty Mercury Computer, but as she did so, rather than the sense of comfort the hand-held device usually inspired in her, it instead brought with it a sense of dread. As she pulled it open, shards of crystal fell from the shattered screen to the ground around her.

Her dread turned to despair when she tried to turn the device on. The screen showed no reaction at all. No lights flashed and the device felt cold to the touch. Then again, even when it had worked in the past it was basically silent and generated no heat, so not all hope was lost. It could simply have been an issue with the display, in which case she would still be able to link to it using her visor as Sailor Mercury.

"One second. Let me try transforming and checking it that way," Ami said. Habit muted the pain involved as she raised her henshin rod high in the air and shouted her ordinary refrain, "Mercury Star Power, Make-Up!"

Nothing happened.

Ami stood with her arm outstretched for a few seconds before that fact sunk in. She lowered her hand and tried again. "Mercury Star Power, Make-Up!"

Nothing happened.

"Mercury Star Power, Make-Up!!" Ami shouted a third time.

Nothing happened.

Ami gave up and lowered her arm. She turned towards Minako and said, "Something's wrong. Can you transform?"

Minako raised her henshin rod in an action similar to Ami's, shouting, "Venus Star Power, Make-Up!"

Nothing happened.

"I can't transform either. How about you, Saotome-san?" Minako asked.

Ranma got an upset look on her face, but much like the others she raised her henshin rod and announced half-heartedly, "Terra Star Power, Make-Up."

Nothing happened.

So it wasn't just her. Something strange was happening.

"What's going on? Why can't any of us transform?" Minako asked, giving voice to the same question Ami had just been thinking. Before Ami or Ranma could respond, though, Minako suddenly asked, "Wait. Has anybody seen Setsuna-san?"

The sudden realization of the missing teammate forcibly knocked any other conversation topic off the agenda. A missing friend was much more important than the temporary mystery of why none of them could transform.

"No. I woke up over there," Ranma said, pointing behind her to the hillside a couple of meters away, "and saw you two lying over here."

Ami was more than slightly concerned at this new discovery. She, Minako, and Ranma had apparently arrived in casual visible sight of each other, but Setsuna was nowhere to be seen. Given how none of the three of them could transform, it was reasonable to assume Setsuna wouldn't have been able to transform as well, which eliminated most of the more benign explanations for her absence too. It was possible that whatever set of circumstances which had saved the three of them had extended to Setsuna as well, only placing her somewhere else entirely for some unknown reason, but the more likely explanation was that Setsuna hadn't been as lucky as the three of them had been. Ami hoped for the best while simultaneously fearing the worst.

Ami suggested to the group, "Let's split up and look for her. Try to see if you recognize any landmarks as well."

They followed Ami's advice and split up, taking turns shouting out Setsuna's name. As they progressed, the trio slowly fanned apart from each other to cover more ground. Minako took the basic approach and was walking in a random direction, looking to both sides as she went. Ranma went to investigate a crevice which may have hidden a prone woman from their sight. Ami decided to climb up the hill they were on to gain some height to survey the situation. As they grew further apart, the hollers of Ranma and Minako grew quiet to Ami's ears.

It took a while for Ami to climb the hill. She wasn't out of shape as such, but life in a city like Tokyo was not conducive to the most active of lifestyles, especially for a bookworm like Ami. The farthest she had to walk on a regular basis was to the nearest bus stop or train station, and, unlike the trek up to the Hikawa Shrine, there were no convenient stairs to make the climb any easier. By the time she got to the top of the hill she was definitely winded.

It was worth it. The hill overlooked a wide breadth of area and Ami could see several kilometers away. In the distance was an expansive forest, far too distant for her to identify what kind of trees it contained. To her left was what appeared to be a grassy meadow, while behind her was the rocky slope where she and the others had woken up.

Once again Ami regretted not being able to transform into Sailor Mercury. Although she could see a substantial portion of the countryside it would be hard to spot a walking, or worse a prone, Setsuna at any distance without any technological or preferably magical assistance. As it was she found it hard to make out what looked like a group of some sort maybe a kilometer away, and it even included a large carriage in its procession. It was only their motion which caught her eye.

Be that as it may, she still thanked her luck for seeing them. An entourage meant people. They might be able to tell her where she was and if they had seen Setsuna. That was assuming they spoke Japanese, English, German, or some other language with which she had at least a passing familiarity.

Ami cupped her hands to her mouth and shouted down to Minako and Ranma, "Hey! I found some people down there! I'm going to go check it out!"

Minako gave a wave back and shouted something which was too quiet for Ami to understand, whereas Ami got no reply at all from Ranma.

Ami then made her way down the hill towards the traveling procession. She made a rough calculation of the best path to intercept her still moving targets. She figured if she hurried she should be able to reach them before they passed by.

As she got closer to the valley below something else caught her eye and made her stop short. Flanking both sides of the small valley were a series of pseudo-cliffs. However none of this was too strange. What had caused Ami to stop short were the figures hidden behind these cliffs. They were crouched behind some rocks, and it was obvious from how they were positioned that they were hidden from the people below. Ami could only think of one scenario which fit all the facts: ambush.

She had only barely come to that realization when she was grabbed from behind, a hand covering her mouth muffling her reflexive scream.

* * *

Minako gave another look towards the hilltop but failed to see Ami. Ami had called out in triumph for conquering the hill they were on, causing Minako to playfully wave back in acknowledgment of the achievement. Since then she had seen no trace of Ami. While Minako didn't know exactly what had happened, Ami was probably fine. Still that had been some time ago.

Finally she made up her mind. It might just be paranoia, but seeing how they were who-knows-where and their search for Setsuna had revealed nothing of note, she would go check on Ami. At worst they would just waste some time. It wasn't as if there was anything else in particular to do.

The first thing Minako did was jog over to where Ranma was. There was no reason to get more separated than they already were and end up with four lost people.

"What's up? Find anything?" Ranma asked as Minako approached.

"No, but Ami-chan's disappeared. She called out a bit ago from up there," Minako pointed at the top of the hill, "but I haven't seen her since."

"So she climbed the hill, called out, and then disappeared? She's probably been kidnapped," Ranma said dismissively.

"Kidnapped? But we haven't even seen anybody else here. What makes you think that?" Minako asked.

"It happens all the time," Ranma said, her voice carrying the weight of experience behind it. Then, with a sigh, she said, "Come on. We'd better go save her."

"If you say so," Minako said skeptically. She had no idea how Ranma had taken the flying leap to reach the conclusion that Ami had been kidnapped, but she wasn't about to start an argument. Instead she just led Ranma up the hill towards the place she had last seen her friend.

It was a bit of a climb and Minako found herself slightly winded by the time the two of them reached the top. She was a bit envious of Ranma, who didn't seem to even have noticed the exertion of the ascent.

Ami was nowhere in sight.

Correction, Ami was barely in sight. She was halfway down the hill. It had taken a second before Minako's eyes noticed the bright white and blue of Ami's school uniform, but now that she had it stood out sharply against the browns, greens, and grays of the area. She was far more visible than the shadowy figures surrounding her, for example.

Shadowy figures? She took another closer look and did in fact notice several shadowy figures all around Ami, who looked to be tied up or something. That couldn't be a good thing.

"Saotome-san," Minako hissed out, getting her companion's attention. She pointed over to where Ami sat.

"See? Told you. Kidnapped. Wait here. I'll go rescue her," Ranma said quietly. She then faded from view right before Minako's eyes.

She had no problem with that. If Ranma wanted to be the knight in shining armor to save Ami, Minako would be more than happy to let him. It was so romantic. She wanted somebody to do the same for her at some point. But wait, Ranma was already married. Her knight in shining armor would need to still be single. Preferably a bit older than her. Tall. Handsome. And male. Definitely male.

Some movement behind Ami in the valley below caught Minako's attention and interrupted her daydreaming. In the distance she saw a large group of people surrounding a carriage or wagon or some sort of vehicle passing by. It didn't register to her until she realized that the mass of shadows which were surrounding Ami were also blocked from view from these people.

It was simple calculation to her. Ami was a friend, so anybody who kidnapped her was evil. If those evil people were planning on attacking somebody else in ambush, then the target must be good. If they were good, she had to do something to help them. It was obvious to her. It never occurred to her that she might be wrong.

The only question she did have was how to help them. She had no idea where Ranma was now so she couldn't let her know of the situation quietly, and she couldn't blindly call out either as that would likely put the kidnappers on guard if not outright make her a target. Her conscience wouldn't let her just stay behind while good people were slaughtered, so she did the only thing she could think of. She started running down the hill to try to warn the people below.

The distance to the valley below didn't look too far to Minako, who was accustomed to traveling in cars, on bicycles, or via other vehicles, but crossing the kilometer or two on foot took a deceptively large amount of time. Time and energy. She could already feel herself breathing heavily and she hadn't even crossed half the distance before she ran out of time.

At some signal, all of the ambushers charged inward at once at the circle of people surrounding the carriage. Even over her labored breathing and the pounding of her feet on the ground Minako could hear the shouting of the attackers. It was even worse than she feared. Another similar swarm from the hill opposite the target charged down at the same time. She redoubled her effort, both thanking and cursing her luck that she had worn her school uniform prior to the trip into that portal.

The hem of her skirt was high enough that there was no risk of tripping, and it was loose enough to allow for near complete mobility in kicking and jumping. However it was still a skirt. It would have been much better to be in shorts when going into a fight, especially if she started throwing kicks around. Then again, if she had her preferences she would have greatly preferred the miniskirt of her Sailor Senshi uniform, although that was for reasons other than ease of mobility. Still there was nothing to be done for it except to fight on as best she could.

Normally she would dramatically pose and announce how the villains had done wrong and would now be punished, but without wearing the guise of Sailor Venus it just didn't feel right. With all of the ongoing life and death fighting below her she wasn't even sure her declaration would be noticed.

So without her usual fanfare Minako charged in, taking her targets completely by surprise from an unexpected angle.

* * *

The Umisenken was an effective way to avoid detection, but it also severely reduced the speed Ranma could travel at. Given the unknown situation Ami was in it seemed like a reasonable trade-off. Ranma was sure she could easily overcome anything those shadowy figures could throw at her and more. Whether she could do so before some guard slit Ami's throat was less clear. Better to take the slower, stealthy approach than risk disaster.

Ranma was only halfway to her goal when everybody surrounding Ami got up and started running away. That took her by surprise. Nobody should have even noticed her, let alone panicked at her sight when all she was doing was hiding.

She was mentally congratulating herself on being so awesome that people who didn't even know her ran in fear when she noticed that they weren't running away from her; they were running towards another group. Well, so much the better. She had a distraction and she hadn't even needed to cause it herself. That just made the rescue trivial, rather than just easy.

Then she noticed Minako running down the hill towards a fight brewing below.

"She's going to get herself killed," Ranma angrily swore to herself.

Ranma dropped her stealth technique started running as quickly as she could towards Ami. There wasn't anybody else around now anyway which dramatically changed the speed-stealth trade-off calculation. Free to travel at full speed now, Ranma was able to cover the remaining distance to where Ami sat bound and gagged in short order. Once there it was easy for Ranma to release the former prisoner.

"What happened?" Ranma asked quickly. She wasn't actually watching Ami, instead watching Minako's progress towards the melee below. She wouldn't reach the fighting for another minute or so. Ranma would need to hurry.

"I don't know. Last thing I knew somebody grabbed me from behind," Ami said.

"Can you get yourself to safety?" Ranma asked, standing up again.

"I think so," Ami answered. "What will you be doing?"

"Trying to keep your friend from getting herself killed," Ranma replied, now running towards the valley and the battle it contained. She didn't bother waiting to hear Ami's response.

The general disorganized melee below started to distinguish itself into dozens of smaller skirmishes as Ranma got close enough to make out the individual actions of the fighters all around the battle. All in all both sides seemed very comparable, both lacking the discipline and the precise rigor indicative of formal military training. If anything that just made the fight that much more dangerous for her. They fought as people who had learned combat through hard won experience rather than endless drilling, having no common pattern in their thrusts and parries she could exploit. Moreover, they were fighting to the death. Several people were already lying on the ground, bleeding and about to die if not already dead. They swirled around in a cacophony of death and destruction like the winds of a tornado, leaving an eye of calmness in the middle centered on a man and a woman.

Both the man and the woman in the oddly quiet center of the raging battle had a regal bearing about them, and Ranma had no doubt that they were the most dangerous people on the grounds despite the fact they carried no obvious weapons.

The ambushers outnumbered their targets and were slowly forcing the circle of defenders they had surrounded to shrink, bringing the edge of destruction ever nearer to the couple in the center. At the current rate it was only a matter of time before they all lay dead and whatever secrets they were protecting were lost.

And then there was Minako.

It was impossible to miss her fighting. Her brightly colored school uniform and golden hair flashed around the battlefield, naturally standing out in contrast to the nondescript dark clothing everybody else was wearing. The term fighting was something of an overstatement, though. Whatever Minako was doing it wasn't fighting, as far as Ranma was concerned. Ranma would characterize Minako's style as being beginning amateur at best. She might be able to hold off a random mugger, maybe, but she was certainly not up to the capabilities of the seasoned warriors which surrounded her.

Yet, against all probabilities, Minako was not only surviving but wreaking havoc among the forces she was up against. Somehow every time somebody attacked her she was knocked away, tripped over, or was generally not there when the sword swung through the air towards her. Half of the time she would end up bumping or falling into somebody else around her, fouling their attack or knocking them to the ground. It was beyond belief. To happen once was lucky, but to happen over, and over, and over strained the bounds of credibility.

Regardless of whether it was because she was secretly that skilled or had luck which rivaled Happosai's, Minako's intervention was starting to have an effect on the battle. At the beginning it had looked like the battle would be close but the defeat of the defenders would be inevitable. It now appeared that, while it would still be close, the defenders had an edge. None of the ambushers could figure out the correct way to handle the blonde whirlwind, and the defenders were more than willing to take advantage of their unexpected and unexplained fortune.

Ranma gave an inward groan as she watched Minako trip and fall over again. She resolved to herself to give some serious training to Minako and the other Sailor Senshi at some point. The general consensus had been that Minako was one of the better fighters of the group, and Ranma was not impressed. This wasn't even considering Ami, who had no chance of engaging any enemy at all without being able to transform. If they were representative samples of the Sailor Senshi, Akana's request that Ranma help train them took on a new importance. They were far too dependent on their magical attacks and enhancements and could use some serious help in regard to their physical combat abilities, both for more mundane threats where they wouldn't have a chance to transform as well as for times when they couldn't transform, such as the situation they currently found themselves in.

All of these thoughts were pushed to the side as Ranma fearlessly charged into battle.

Once she might have had some doubt about an imminent fight against dozens of heavily armed people, back before she had first had shown up at the Tendo Dojo. That was before Ranma met the Kunos, Ryouga, the Amazons, the seven lucky god martial artists, and countless others, including Saffron. The net result of all of this was that nothing short of a large army of Arch-Demons would cause her any hesitation before engaging in a fight, for better or for worse.

There was a reason she could throw a Mouko Takabisha with such ease.

In this case, her confidence was well founded. Her assessment of the fighters proved to be almost exactly on the mark. Maybe she had underestimated the opposition a bit, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. She danced and weaved through the swinging blades with the same ease Akane had shown against her hordes of suitors before Ranma's arrival had put a stop that particular morning ritual. In fact Ranma was more worried about being hit from behind by a flailing Minako than being sliced by a swinging sword.

Even if Ranma found Minako's actions somewhat distracting she made it a point to stay close enough to her to provided assistance if it was needed. The trick was to also stay far enough away that a random fall wouldn't affect her.

Ranma bent backwards at the waist, barely avoiding a slash to her chest. The maneuver allowed her a brief upside-down glance behind her so she could check on how Minako was doing. The girl was windmilling her arms trying to regain her balance, and as a by-product managed to clock a man on the head.

Having confirmed that Minako was still fine for the time being Ranma continuing to bend backwards and transitioned to a handstand, lashing out with her feet as she did so and catching her assailant on the chin with a kick. It was a showboat move without much force behind it, but what it lacked in power it made up for in surprise. It disoriented and stunned her attacker enough that he got a sword through his side from somebody else.

As Ranma righted herself a sword slashed across her left arm. She barely felt the flesh wound, it serving more to remind her to pay more attention to her surroundings than anything else. She turned to face her new assailant only to find that the woman had had the same lesson taught to her, only more fatally as a sword erupted through her stomach.

With the immediate threat out of the way, Ranma did what she in retrospect should have done at the very start of the battle when it became clear that these people were fighting to the death. She hated it, but it was better than being hurt again by a lucky strike. She summoned a protective psionic barrier around her, shouting, "Psi-Tech! Aura Shield!"

The habitual cry from another life automatically let her mind gain the focus necessary to follow the patterns used to summon the psionic shield around her. Ranma didn't summon her sword. It would take more effort and concentration to do so, and moreover Ranma had no interest in directly adding to the ever increasing death toll around her, even if the people surrounding her seemed to have no such qualms.

As the battle continued Ranma let the thoughtless intensity of the fight sweep her away as it always did, allowing her honed reactions take in everything and deal with threats faster than the conscious mind could process. She instead let her active thoughts concentrate on the bigger picture surrounding her. None of Ranma's opponents were skilled enough to warrant any specific strategy or tactic to fight, and bereft of anything else to think about Ranma found her consciousness drifting back to the couple in the center of the circle. The frequent jumps characteristic of her fighting style allowed her glimpses of the two of them, and Ranma had long learned that if something caught her attention in a fight she should pay attention to it even if she didn't always know why.

As Ranma half-watched, the man in the center of the perimeter drifted back from his companion. Slowly. Very slowly. He carefully drew a dagger, although against what threat Ranma couldn't tell given the limited amount of attention she could pay to them. The perimeter surrounding the two was stable, with no signs of a breakthrough, and no attack appeared imminent.

This suspicious behavior caused Ranma to increase her attention level from that of tacit observer to that of a much more active and detailed watcher, even as this had the effect of reducing her combat effectiveness. It was fortunate that by this point of the battle the tide had turned to the degree that her reduced concentration shouldn't have a direct effect on the fight.

That judgment proved to be much too arrogant of her. Noticing her distraction, or maybe just due to lucky timing, a man lunged in with his sword and forced Ranma's attention back to the fight at hand. It had come close, too close, to skewering her like a giant kebob; a potentially lethal wound in any circumstances, with the ongoing life and death struggle surrounding her the loss of mobility from the injury alone would have certainly been fatal.

Ranma desperately twisted herself as much as she could, the sword slicing through her shirt and slashing painfully against her ribs. The Aura Shield absorbed most of the blow, amplifying the perception of pain dramatically but leaving her skin with only a minor laceration. She suppressed her instinctive scream as best she could and forced herself to pay attention.

The man followed up his hit by spinning his blade around and sweeping in low towards Ranma's waist. More fully engaged in combat now, she noticed the low blow with plenty of time to dodge. Given the target of attack, the fastest way out was up, which suited her perfectly. With a leap many would have thought impossible, Ranma spring-boarded up, first off her attacker's arm and then off his head as if it were gym class and she were showing off on a vault.

The extra height and the momentary breather gave her a second to reorient herself and to take stock of the situation. It was just as well because during her distraction earlier, the man in the center of the circle had fully flanked the woman and now had his dagger drawn back in preparation for a thrust.

Ranma didn't even realize she had released a Mouko Takabisha until it had already left her hands. With the speed of a non-corporeal blast of energy, the orb sped directly at the man, its bright light catching the attention of the whole battlefield as it flew overhead.

Catching the attention of whole battlefield except her target. He either didn't notice or was too committed to his action to react in time as he proceeded to plunge his dagger deeply into the back of the woman. Not nearly as deeply as he had intended, however. His thrust was firmly interrupted by the bright light hitting him squarely in the shoulder and sending him sprawling backwards, the dagger still held firmly in his hand.

Ranma's assessment of the situation had changed dramatically in the past few seconds. Despite her antics Minako seemed to have things mostly in hand, and the fight as a whole had firmly turned for the defenders. In contrast, in the center of the battlefield an entirely different drama was unfolding. An unarmed injured woman faced off against a man with a dagger who had literally stabbed her in the back moments ago.

Ranma deftly disengaged from her would-be killer using the same escape vector she had used before, namely going up and over him. She jumped over a clumsy lunge, simultaneously kicking and pushing off the man's head with both of her feet. This had the net result of shoving him away while allowing her to fly backwards through the air directly towards the man and woman in the center of the fight.

Not for the first time Ranma thanked the lighter body of her female form, it flying much farther than her heavier male form would have been able to given the light counterweight of the spry man turned unwilling springboard. Even so she didn't have the clearance to get much past the perimeter of the fighting. She did have enough distance to make for a clear landing space, but she hadn't traveled nearly as far as she would have preferred.

Ranma landed as best she could, ready to react to any emerging situation as befitted a master of Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu. It turned out to be entirely unnecessary. The man in the center had only just managed to reorient himself and was in the process of getting up as Ranma touched ground. Despite the fact that the woman had been stabbed moments earlier and was visibly bleeding, she stood with no sign of fear or cowering. If anything, the man was the one being dominated by the injured woman.

"What is the meaning of this, Barslem?" she demanded. Whether it was due to magic or it was just an impossible coincidence, she spoke modern Japanese which Ranma was easily able to understand.

"You are a fool! A weak fool, Venge!" The man's angry shout stood in stark contrast to Venge's measured question. "I will not stand idly by while you surrender to Endymion!"

The man had somehow managed to make the name sound like a curse. It was very jarring to Ranma, who had spent one lifetime looking up to a respected father and king of the same name. She was sure it was just a coincidence, though, and pushed it to the side.

"Like I told everybody before leaving, this is a mission of peace," Venge said.

"And like I said, you are a fool! Do you really think he will accept anything besides our people in chains?" Barslem accused, climbing to his feet.

"This fight has gone on for too long already. Does anybody really know what started it? Does anybody even care? I'm going to talk to Endymion. I'm sure he'll be reasonable," Venge said.

"The only discussion they understand is the point of a sword," Barslem said.

The fighting had stopped now and everybody was paying attention to the confrontation in the center of the circle, even while they eyed each other carefully for fear of an attack.

"We can't continue on this way. Each month we lose more and more. Everybody knows how bad things are. I'm scared too, but good will win out in the end. Endymion must be willing to listen to me. We can finally have peace," Venge said, maintaining her composure despite the blood dripping down her back.

"Your words of peace are coated with honey, but in reality you talk of surrender and ruin. Nobody would speak up, but everybody agrees. You are a traitor on a fool's errand. You will see us as slaves to Endymion, and I would rather die than see the world under his rule," Barslem said, spitting at Venge. The projectile landed at her feet.

Venge pointed outside the circle and declared, "Then leave. If you do not wish to be part of this new world we are making then I will not force you. But. You. Will. Not. Stop. Me."

The determination of Venge's words struck Ranma despite her distance and them being delivered in the same controlled tone as before.

Barslem was on the verge of saying something else when Venge cut him off, the first trace of anger entering her voice. "I said leave. Take your followers and go."

The man hesitated for a moment longer, and then turned away. The guards on the inside turned to face him with drawn weapons before Venge stopped them.

"No, let him go. We are trying to make a new world of love and justice. I will not have it begin with a needless act of violence," Venge said.

The guards were obviously hesitant, but in the end respected her wishes. An opening in the perimeter appeared, letting Barslem pass undisturbed. Both sides were very deliberate in their movements, carefully prepared to re-engage in combat should the other side launch a surprise attack during the newly found truce. This prudence proved to be unnecessary, however, as the most hostile thing that passed between the two groups were stares. Quickly Barslem was out of the circle, the numerous ambushers following just behind.

Once they were safely away, Venge let her impassive mask drop and stumbled to her knees. Blood was still dripping down her back.

"Venge-sama!" several of the people surrounding them shouted, some starting forward.

Ranma was the first to her side. She asked, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Venge said with a weak wave of her hand.

"Hold fast. Step away from Venge-sama," one of the defenders said. She had approached almost as fast as Ranma had, and held a sword against Ranma's neck.

"Saotome-san!" Minako shouted out, running towards her.

"That's quite enough, Turquoise-dono, put your sword down. If you hadn't noticed, I'd be dead now if it hadn't been for this woman," Venge said. The woman was hesitant but slowly followed the command.

"I'm sorry but my guards are a bit nervous as you can imagine. Can you give me a second?" Venge asked.

Venge closed her eyes and let her head droop. Slowly a faint white light started to glow around one of her hands. Unlike the golden aura which surrounded Ranma and Mamoru back in Tokyo, this light was so faint that Ranma could have been convinced she was just imagining it. Venge held that hand up to where she had been stabbed and placed it over her wound. Her face winced in pain as she made contact, holding her hand there briefly before she collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily.

* * *

While the battle raged on below Ami did her best to stay out of the conflict. Even if she had been Sailor Mercury she would have hesitated before charging directly into the melee, her role on the team being more for support than that of a fighter. Being bereft of any magical enhancements or attacks only made the decision that much more obvious; joining the fight would just get her killed.

Instead she stayed on the hill above the fight, watching the ebb and flow of battle and occasionally checking around her to make sure she wouldn't be caught by surprise again. With both Minako and Ranma being occupied, her getting captured again would be a very bad thing indeed.

Things seemed to come to a head when Ranma shot a Mouko Takabisha into the center of the ring of conflict, which caused everybody to pause in their actions. Ami decided that that was her cue to approach. Something was going on, and she needed information if she was going to act appropriately.

Ami made her way down below slowly and cautiously, making sure that she kept enough distance to make a run for it if somebody came after her. As she approached the circle opened up, letting somebody out, and the attackers peeled away to leave with the departing person. She was relieved to note that they were moving in a direction away from her. Surprisingly, nobody seemed to challenge her presence as she and Minako entered the circle and joined Ranma. The only person between her and that woman in the center of all the commotion was another woman, holding her drawn sword at the ready.

Slowly, shakily, the kneeling woman pushed herself back up and regained her feet. She was still breathing heavily when she turned to the three of them. "Sorry about that. Thanks for waiting. My name is Venge and I'm the leader of the Greater Domains. Thank you for your help, but tell me, who are you?"

No help there in determining where she, Minako, and Ranma had ended up. Ami had never heard of an organization, country, or territory called the Greater Domains before. The name Venge was unfamiliar to her as well.

"I'm Saotome Ranma," Ranma introduced herself.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Mizuno Ami," Ami said.

"And my name is Aino Minako," Minako concluded.

"You fight strangely, and your clothing is stranger, Saotomeranma-san," Venge said. She spoke without the calm forcefulness she had used when talking to Barslem earlier.

Ranma corrected her, "No, it's just Ranma. Saotome's my family name."

"Family name?" Venge asked.

"You know, my family name," Ranma said. Venge still had a look of confusion on her face. "Surname?" Ranma tried again, with no recognition either. "Never mind. Just the name's Ranma."

"If you insist. Anyway, Ranma... san? I haven't seen anybody like you before. Where do you come from?" Venge asked

Minako promptly answered for the three of them, "We're from Juuban, in Tokyo."

"Tokyo? Where's that?" Venge asked.

"It's the capital of Japan," Minako answered undeterred.

"Okay, where's Japan then?" Venge asked.

That worried Ami. There were only a couple of explanations why Venge wouldn't have heard of a country as large and prominent as Japan, and they ranged from bad to worse. As they were speaking Japanese, Ami was more inclined to think things were closer to the worse side of that explanation continuum. She didn't show this, and instead said, "Far away from here, I suspect. Honestly, I'm more curious about who that was who attacked you."

Venge was polite enough to not comment on the blatant attempt to change the conversation subject. She explained, "That was Barslem. He's the head of the Moure Movement and was something of an adviser of mine. I thought it was strange he was so insistent on coming as an escort on this trip. It seems he set up this trap for me. He likely would have succeeded too if not for the help of your companions."

Venge spoke as if the Moure Movement was common knowledge, even though Ami had never heard of it before either. Rather than reveal that, and possibly go back to answering questions about where they came from and who they were, Ami instead focused on what she did recognize in the hopes that she could find out more about what was going on. She asked, "If he was your adviser then why would he set up a trap for you?"

"You'd have to ask him to be certain. I suspect it was just a power grab, but he might have been telling the truth about him trying to kill me for the good of the Greater Domains," Venge said, and then sighed. "He might be right too. I'm actually on my way to speak with Endymion of the Confederacy to sue for peace. To surrender, if you want to be blunt. I'm going to see what it will take to end this war."

The Confederacy. Another unnamed territory or country or whatever else it was. Ami had been right. Things were definitely worse.

"The Confederacy? Who are they?" Minako asked.

"They're our historic enemies. We've been fighting as long as anybody can remember, but the fight is going very poorly for us. Every month we lose more and more, faster than we can rebuild," Venge said. The worn faces around the ring betrayed no emotion at this declaration.

"Why are you fighting?" Ami asked.

"That's just it. Nobody knows anymore. It's all just for revenge. They attack one of our villages and kill everybody they can, so the survivors gather all the reinforcements they can find and do the same to one of their villages. Their survivors do the same and attack back, and the death toll rises," Venge said.

"That's terrible," Minako said.

"So what are you going to do about it?" Ranma asked.

"I'm on my way to speak with Endymion. As I said, I'm going to sue for peace so we can finally put a stop to this endless fighting. I just hope the price he demands won't be too high to bear," Venge said. "To tell you the truth, I'm starting to wonder if we can even reach them. I had brought all of these guards to have a proper show of force, but I hadn't expected to actually need them. We couldn't possibly survive another attack like this one."

Ami sensed an opportunity here. There were no roads or trails visible, meaning it was very possible that they could walk for days without seeing another living person. That would be days without any food, water, or supplies beyond the clothes they wore. Moreover, there was no reason to think that the next group of people they found would be at all friendly. It was better to travel with somebody who actually knew the lay of the land, even if there was the potential for an attack.

Before she could change her mind she offered, "What if we were to go with you? We could use some supplies, and you could use some help."

"I still don't trust them, Venge-sama. It's all too convenient. I think we should leave them and go our separate ways," the woman with the sword said, eying the three of them warily.

"I understand your concern, Turquoise-dono, but I have a good feeling about these people. I trust them. We should have more than enough rations to go around given our recent fight," Venge said with forced impassivity, "and if they're willing to offer their assistance I'm more than happy to accept it. I must admit to having some reservations about Ranma-san helping in her condition, though."

Ranma looked down at her torn shirt and the cut beneath it, and then at her bloody arm. Neither seemed to be bleeding anymore. She said, "It's nothing. I've had a lot worse before."

"You have?" Venge asked, surprised. "Well I suppose you wouldn't just forget about something like that, now would you, and you know yourself better than I do. Then if you are willing it'd be foolish for me not to accept."

"Actually there is one thing before we go," Ami said. "It's not so much a demand as a favor. There was a fourth person in our group, but we lost track of her on the other side of that hill over there. We were actually looking for her when stumbled across your predicament. She might be gone but I'd feel a lot better if we could search the area before we left, just in case."

"That should be easy enough. We won't be leaving for a while anyway and we'll need to set up a scouting perimeter while we're here. They can keep an eye out for your companion as well. What does she look like?" Venge asked.

"She's a tall woman with long dark hair," Ami said. She intentionally kept the description vague enough that it would apply to both Setsuna as well as Sailor Pluto, in the unlikely event that Setsuna was transformed.

Venge raised her voice to address the rest of those present. "I don't think Barslem will be back, but I don't want to spend too long here in case he changes his mind. Split up into three teams. The first team will gather the wounded and bring them to me. The second team will gather supplies from the fallen and then dig graves for them. The third will form a scouting perimeter and search around. Keep an eye out for a tall woman with dark hair, and make sure we don't get any unpleasant surprises. Be quick, everyone. We still have a long way to go and I want to be out of here in the next three hours."

The guards quickly organized themselves with a fluidity which spoke of a well organized and disciplined team. As they did so, Ranma approached Venge to ask what on the surface seemed like a very simple question, "Do you have any hot water?"

* * *

After burying the guards that were beyond the help of Venge's healing magic, the group continued on towards their rendezvous with Endymion. They were now a considerable distance from the battlefield. Just before they had left, Ami had laid out some rocks to form a crude rendition of the symbols for Mercury, Venus, and Earth as well as a giant arrow in the ground pointing in the direction they were traveling, just in case Setsuna happened by later. This had been over the protest of Turquoise, but Venge hadn't seen any harm in making the sign. Anybody who would mean them harm already knew their destination, and any other group that stumbled across the sign would be unlikely follow a random arrow in the ground. It was also unlikely that Setsuna was around, let alone would see the sign, but Ami had had to try.

As they traveled, the guards had split into a loose formation with an amorphous perimeter, while a couple of scouts surveyed the area in search for potential attackers. They had learned the lesson of their ambush well. Inside the perimeter the guards had organized themselves around several small cliques of what Ranma assumed were friends. Every so often the scouts and the perimeter guards would rotate.

In the center of the procession was a carriage which somehow moved without any visible source of power. Inside of that carriage, Venge rode all by herself.

This gave Ami, Minako, and Ranma a semblance of privacy as they walked outside of the carriage, more or less alone. There wasn't the true genuine privacy necessary to talk about any serious secrets, but there was enough space for the three to talk semi-openly.

"I wish the Mercury Computer was still working. It'd be so much easier to determine where we are with it, and I really want to get a scan on Venge-sama and her magic," Ami remarked.

"That computer's of yours is pretty handy, isn't it? I wonder why none of the other Sailor Senshi got anything like that," Minako remarked.

Ranma thought back to the Silver Millennium and the various paraphernalia the different Sailor Senshi used on a regular basis. She disagreed with Minako's assertion, saying, "It's not just her. All of the Outer Sailor Senshi have their artifacts which they use all of the time."

"Not to mention Sailor Moon has her disguise pen and Sailor Mars has her ofuda, although I think that might be more based on her being a shrine maiden than her being Sailor Mars," Ami added.

"Aww, why do I get left out?" Minako asked.

"From what I remember Sailor Venus was the leader of the Guardian Sailor Senshi. I'm not sure I'd count that as being left out," Ranma said.

"Still, for times like this when we are stuck on another world, I think I'd rather have the Mercury Computer all the same," Ami said.

"What makes you think we're on another world? They speak Japanese after all," Minako asked.

"Lots of things. They're using swords instead of guns. There aren't any roads here, and I can't even begin to guess how this carriage is moving. They've never heard of Japan despite speaking Japanese. It makes more sense that we're in another world than some unknown country on Earth," Ami remarked.

Ranma nodded in agreement to that assessment. It was the most logical explanation.

"You seem to be taking all of this well," Ami commented to Ranma.

"What? You mean being lost in another world?" Ranma asked. "It's not like I see either of you freaking out or anything."

"No. Well, yes, that too, but I was more referring to your being stuck as a girl," Ami said.

"Oh, that," Ranma said, rubbing her now dry hair reflexively. When she had poured hot water over her head earlier nothing had happened, save for her getting wet. Her getting wet and receiving a number of stares and snickers from Ami, Minako, Venge, and the guards. The snickering had only come from the guards.

"Yeah. I'm surprised you aren't going off on a rampage or something," Minako, ever the tactful girl, said.

"Well it's not this is the first time I've been stuck as a girl. I've lost count of the number of times it's happened. It always works itself out in the end," Ranma explained. To be certain she was upset, but most of the shock and horror of being stuck wore away after having it happen so often to her in the past. Just off the top of her head there was the time with Herb and the Chiisuiton. And the time with the full body cat tongue. And the time with the corset.

"Wait, you've been stuck as a girl before?" Ami asked, interrupting Ranma's introspection and reminiscence of worse times. "Does that mean Michiru-san might get stuck as a boy too?"

"Hmm, maybe. Probably. It's happened to Ryouga and Mouse. Herb got stuck as a girl too. Even Shampoo got stuck before," Ranma said, shuddering a bit at that last thought.

The idea of Michiru being permanently stuck as a man was quite the thought, especially in regard to her status as Sailor Neptune. Maybe she would still be able to transform, seeing how the Silver Millennium had access to much more magical knowledge and power than Cologne and Happosai did. Or possibly she would transform into some male equivalent of Sailor Neptune, like a Neptune Knight or a Tuxedo Neptune or something. Then again, it could just be as simple as them losing one of the strongest Sailor Senshi on their team.

Thoughts of the loss of Sailor Neptune and her associated combat ability reminded Ranma of something, a request of Akana's which she couldn't help but agree to now that she had seen how poorly Minako had fought. She abruptly changed topics, "That reminds me, we're going to need to have you all undergo some serious martial arts training when we get back. You're all way too vulnerable when you're not transformed, and even when you're transformed your tactics aren't too great."

"That's not very fair. I'll have you know I did plenty good on my own," Minako complained.

Ami was more accepting of the criticism, instead asking, "Does that mean you're offering to help us then?"

"I guess so. Akana did ask me to before she disappeared and all, and it'll be a good way to work off some stress too," Ranma said, a slightly sinister grin appearing on her face.

"Work off stress? What's that supposed to mean?" Minako asked.

"Oh, you'll see," Ranma said, plans already whirling around in her mind. The question was how was she going to find a pack of hungry wolves roaming around in Tokyo?

Nervous looks already graced the faces of Ami and Minako. If only they knew.

The casual chatting and walking continued until the sun was low on the horizon but still high enough to leave an hour or two before dusk. At this point Turquoise called a stop to the march and ordered the group to make camp for the evening. It never did to rush forming an encampment, and trying to get anything done past sunset was somewhere between dangerous and impossible.

The stop was none too soon for both Ami and Minako. Minako looked somewhat worn, and Ami looked positively wiped out, despite the shortened day of travel given the fight earlier. That their shoes were not conducive to hiking couldn't have helped, and Ranma wouldn't have been at all surprised if their feet were covered in blisters.

Venge came out of the carriage while the guards made camp with remarkable alacrity. Ranma, Ami, and Minako had wanted to help, but Turquoise had stopped them from trying.

"Don't bother. We're used to this kind of thing. Anything you'd do here would just get in the way," Turquoise said.

"I'm sorry we're not able to help," Ami said, taking advantage of the opportunity to take a seat on the ground by a pile of wood which was rapidly being turned into a fire.

"Don't be. We all contribute in our own ways. There's no shame in staying out of the way when you can't help," Turquoise said, taking a seat as well.

"Why aren't you shouting at us, or keeping us under guard? Didn't you say you don't trust us?" Minako asked, joining the growing group sitting on the ground.

"Venge-sama trusts you, and that's good enough for me. She's a good judge of character. I've never seen her be wrong about anybody. About the only thing I've seen about her which is better is her ability to find allies and make friends," Turquoise said.

"Just like Usagi-chan," Minako mentioned more to herself than anybody in particular.

Turquoise gave no indication of having heard her and instead asked, "Anyway, now that we seem to be allies of a sort, I'd like to learn a bit more about what you're capable of. What was that bolt of energy you threw earlier, Ranma-san? It didn't look like any of the magic Venge-sama casts, and it was a whole lot faster too."

Ranma debated for a moment whether she should reveal all of what she could do. Then again, Venge had trusted them enough to let them join up with her group without a guard, and she had a good a feeling of her new companions as well. Ranma eventually concluded it wouldn't hurt and explained, "That was a ki attack. It works by focusing on an emotion and then projecting it outward."

"A ki attack? What's ki?" Turquoise asked.

"Ki is like the spiritual energy everybody has. If you get as good as I am you can use it for all sorts of things, like that blast I did earlier," Ranma explained.

"I've never heard of anything like that before. Can you all do that?" Turquoise asked.

Ranma snorted in derision at the thought of somebody like Ami using ki to even enhance her strength or to speed her healing, let alone projecting it as some kind of attack.

"No, just Saotome-san," Ami said before Ranma could answer in a less diplomatic way.

"I see. Do you have any other special tricks or anything?" Turquoise asked.

"Well, I guess the Psi-Techs would count too," Ranma added.

"Psi-Tech? You shouted that earlier. Given its name I assume that was what prevented you from being sliced in two," Turquoise said, pointing to the large cut in Ranma's shirt.

"I was actually wondering the same thing myself," Venge said, taking a seat and joining in the ongoing conversation. "It didn't seem like any magic I've seen before. Considering the amount of magic you have inside of you I'm surprised you didn't use any. That applies to all of you for that matter."

Minako asked, "All of us?"

"Yes. Ranma-san has a considerable amount of magic inside of her, much more than me and everybody I know combined. However you two have the touch of magic to you as well, even if it is a bit strange," Venge said.

"Strange? What do you mean strange?" Ami asked.

"It's like you have an echo or hollow of magic or something in you. It's very odd. I've never seen anything like it before," Venge said.

"Well I've told you some of what I can do. What about you? What kinds of things can you do with your magic, Venge-san?" Ranma asked.

"Venge-sama," Turquoise corrected her, emphasizing the title.

"Venge-san," Ranma flippantly repeated, challenging the woman to do something about it.

Venge subtly waved off Turquoise and answered, "I can do a lot of things. I can sense things, create things, transport things, communicate across distances, heal people. I can also use it to defend myself if I need to."

"It sounds like your magic is pretty versatile," Ami said.

"You think so? I'm rather surprised. With the amount of magic Ranma-san has I was sure you'd seen a lot more than that on a regular basis. If I had her power I'm sure I could practically bring the dead back to life or perform other so-called miracles," Venge said.

"Actually I can't use magic," Ranma said. Not without transforming into Sailor Terra first, at least, and certainly nothing like what Venge had described.

"You can't? I find that hard to believe. You are practically dripping with power," Venge asked.

"Oh, that's probably not me. That's probably that weird heart crystal-ish thing I absorbed a while ago," Ranma corrected.

Turquoise was instantly on her feet, her sword drawn and pointed at Ranma. She hostilely said, "A heart crystal? You'd better start explaining how you happened to absorb one of those. You don't just happen stumble across an extra heart crystal."

"It's not like that," Ranma protested, edging away from the aggressive blade. She wondered why people always assumed the worst in her, forgetting her similar reaction towards Sailor Saturn earlier. "I had to take it to save it from being taken by some demons or something."

"Demons? What demons?" Turquoise asked incredulously, still holding the sword at ready. "Maybe it's time you told us where you're really from."

Ami looked at Minako and Ranma in askance, both of whom shrugged back to her. She said, "Well, the truth is we're from another world."

"Another world? What is that supposed to mean?" Venge asked more diplomatically than Turquoise's demands had been.

"I think we're from a parallel timeline. We were investigating a temporal incursion in our world when we found this incredibly powerful heart crystal which was under attack by a large number of demons. We had saved it and were heading back to our world when... when..." Ami faltered in her explanation when she got to the point that they had last seen Sailor Pluto. It took herself a few seconds to collect herself before she could continue, "That was the last time we saw that fourth person we were looking for. When we woke up we were just over that hill we mentioned to you and she was gone. We were looking for her when we found you under attack."

"That's quite the story," Turquoise said, still holding her sword out but much less offensively oriented than before.

Venge noted, "It would explain your names, though, and your clothing."

"Not to mention how out of shape you are," Turquoise added.

"I'm sorry I can't provide you with more details. If I still had my computer I could find out a lot more about where we are. We probably could have avoided you entirely and not bothered you at all," Ami said, clearly missing her computer.

"I guess it's a good thing for me that you lost it then. If your friend hadn't interfered I might be dead right now," Venge lightly bantered.

While they were talking Ami took off her shoes and was subtly rubbing her feet. They were red and covered in blisters, and it was obvious her legs were sore from over-exhaustion as well. There were gasps from Minako and Venge. Ranma was fairly nonplussed. She had seen, and experienced, worse.

"That looks terrible," Venge asked.

"Don't worry, it's nothing. I might not be in as good a shape as all of you but I'll figure out some way to keep up. Somehow," Ami tried to reassure the others.

"That's certainly not nothing. You should have said something. We got a long march ahead of us, and we can't have you going lame halfway through it," Turquoise said.

"Here, allow me," Venge said.

Much as she had after the battle earlier in the day, Venge held out her hand while a white light started to emanate from around it. She reached out and placed the palm of her hand on Ami's leg, causing the blisters and sores to visibly shrink and then ultimately disappear.

After a few seconds, during which the winded Venge caught her breath, she said, "You clearly aren't up to a long march, Ami-san. You can start riding in the carriage with me tomorrow."

"Really, I couldn't," Ami protested.

"You can and you will. I'll not have it said that I don't treat my guests well," Venge insisted.

"I see. Then thank you very much for your hospitality," Ami said.

The evening passed with inconsequential small talk after that, and they soon went to sleep under a moonless sky. Without the benefits of electrical lighting or the other paraphernalia of modern life, there just wasn't any reason for Ranma, Ami, or Minako to stay awake much past sunset.

The next day Ami took Venge up on her offer and rode in the carriage along with her. Ranma and Minako took up a position just outside of the vehicle but walked in silence, not really having anything to talk about. The rest of the guards continued their well choreographed scouting and perimeter guarding as the day passed by in quiet boredom.

The next several days passed by much slower than that first day. In a way this was a good thing, as the days only seemed long because they were incredibly uneventful. Ranma found herself practicing some mobile forms of katas as they walked and then doing several much more advanced forms in camp in the mornings and the evenings. It wasn't ideal, but it was adequate to keep herself in shape given the lack of real opponents to push her.

Eventually one day when they had made camp, Ami rushed out of the carriage. She rapidly approached both Ranma and Minako and excitedly said, "Saotome-san. Minako-chan. Venge-sama and I were talking and we had a really good idea."

"What's your idea?" Minako asked.

"Well, we were talking about the parallel timelines, you know the one we came from, and we got the idea that maybe if we gave Venge-sama that castle gem that maybe she could use it to send us back home," Ami said.

"What? Are you sure?" Minako asked.

"No, we're not," Venge answered, approaching much more sedately than Ami had earlier. "I don't have any idea how much energy is needed to make a gateway back to your world, but seeing the amount of power that Ranma-san is in possession of, there's a good chance it might be enough."

"What about you? I promised to help protect you and I don't feel too great about leaving you on your own," Ranma said. She honored her word. If there was one thing she still had after all this time was her honor.

"If this works I won't need your protection anymore. I'll be more than capable of handling anything which comes up on the trip to the Confederacy, and anything Endymion can throw at us as well," Venge reassured them.

"Sorry, time out!" Minako shouted. She then grabbed Ami and Ranma and pulled them away. As she did so she called back over her shoulder, "We'll be right back."

Once they were out of earshot, Minako whispered to the two people she was practically dragging away, "Are you sure about this? That heart crystal is almost as strong as the Ginzuishou, remember? That's a lot to give to somebody we just met a few days ago."

"I've got a good feeling about her," Ami whispered back. "She's already helped us, and I haven't seen anything bad from her or any of the guards. I don't think they could keep up a pretense this long. Besides, it's not like we have any other options, not unless we can find Setsuna-san."

"I don't have a problem with it. I don't sense any bad intentions or anything from her, and believe me I'm good at detecting danger," Ranma said, recalling all of the times her preternatural martial artist senses had saved her from a disastrous sneak attack.

"Wait, do you even know how to get that gem out of you?" Minako asked.

"Of course I can," Ranma said with a false bravado. She had no idea how she would do it, but she was sure she could figure something out. When she concentrated she could even feel a foreign presence within her, similar to her ki but alien in some ineffable way. She could project her ki in a Mouko Takabisha, so how much harder could it be?

"I guess that settles it then," Minako said. Then walking back to Venge she announced in a more normal voice, "Sorry, we had to discuss some things. Everything's as good as a bug in a rug now."

There was a moment of silence as everybody tried to digest what Minako had just said before Ami suggested, "I don't think that's what that phrase means, Minako-chan."

"Anyway, it sounds like a good plan and a fair trade. We give you the crystal and you get us home," Ranma said.

"I'll try to get you home," Venge corrected. "I must admit, though, I'm a little reluctant with this idea. You'll get quite a large energy drop when you give up the heart crystal, if it is as powerful as you say it is. It might be dangerous for you, given your condition."

Ranma checked her arm, which had long since healed over, as well as her torso, which had healed even faster than her arm had. She had no idea what Venge was talking about. She asked, "My condition? What condition?"

"You mean you didn't know?" Venge's eyes widened in surprise before she joyously announced, "Ranma-san, you're pregnant."

* * *

Last Updated: December 16, 2012


	6. Chapter 18

Chapter 18:

Pregnant.

Pregnant.

Pregnant.

The word bounced around Ranma's head, driving out all other thoughts.

Pregnant.

Pregnant.

Pregnant.

How could she be pregnant because even she knew what caused pregnancy and she had never done that with anyone except for that one time with Akane but even that may have gotten Akane pregnant not her because she had been male then and even Jusenkyo couldn't be that twisted and it wouldn't make any sense no matter how she looked at it even considering the fact that she hadn't had her period yet despite it having been expected a couple of days ago which was yet another joy which Jusenkyo had brought into her life and that pregnancy could possibly explain why she was stuck but that didn't come close to possibly explaining how she could even be pregnant in the first place and moreover even if she was pregnant how could Venge know?

* * *

"What makes you think I'm pregnant?" Ranma accused with a shaky voice, asking the very question Minako had just been thinking.

It was the third question which had come to mind. The first question had been, "What's going on here?" and the second one had been, "What's Saotome-san going to do now?" Unlike those other two questions, though, this one actually had a chance of being answerable by Venge.

Venge looked nonplussed for a second but answered, still in her celebratory tone, "It's one of the things I can do with my magic. It looks like you're going to have a healthy baby girl. A blessing to be sure in this war-torn world. Congratulations."

"But I couldn't... I haven't... There's absolutely no way..." Ranma said, confused and flustered. A bright blush came to her cheeks. Minako could feel a flush coming to her cheeks as well due to the intimate topic of conversation.

"Well, I feel three energy sources from you. There's a really large one which overshadows everything else. Based on what you've told me that's probably that heart crystal you rescued from that other world. However there's another one inside you too. It looks like it is just starting to be formed so it must have happened in the past few days," Venge explained.

"Aha! Then you must have made a mistake. Akane and I definitely haven't done anything like that in the past few weeks," Ranma declared. She sounded triumphant and relieved.

Minako felt a stab of guilt at this declaration. She had known that the business with the Sailor Senshi and Sailor Terra had put a strain on Ranma's and Akane's relationship, but she hadn't realized exactly to what extent it had. They were newlyweds too. It somehow hurt more to hear it said out loud how estranged the two had become rather than it just being understood.

Ami speculated, "What about that heart crystal? It's not like we know much about absorbing them. Maybe it did something to you."

"That heart crystal certainly has the power to spare. I suppose if the timing was right when you had absorbed it that this could have been the result," Venge speculated as well.

Ranma's face quickly became cold and inscrutable. Minako felt like she could have been staring at a frozen glacier for all of the reaction Ranma showed despite the monumental things that were happening to her. It was a very unusual reaction. Based on her extensive knowledge from the shows on television, Minako knew that the reactions of expectant mothers upon learning they were pregnant really split into two groups. The first group was delighted at the news, acting with varying degrees of joy and mania. The second, and larger, group despaired and was generally terrified of the pregnancy. The thing both groups had in common was a strong, extensive, visible emotional reaction. In short, they reacted like Ranma had upon Venge's first declaration. None of them reacted like Ranma was acting now, with a newly found icy passivity.

"Wait. If that heart crystal caused this, does it mean that removing it will cause problems?" Minako asked.

Ranma's face remained inscrutable.

"I doubt it. I guess it's possible that the removal of that much magic might be problematic, but seeing how they are three separate heart crystals I doubt it. If this heart crystal really was absorbed just a few days ago then I'm sure Ranma's fully developed body and heart crystal would be able to survive without it, and mothers have been able to support their children since time immemorial, but it's an unstudied phenomenon and I can't say it's without risk for the embryo," Venge answered.

"Let's do it," Ranma declared, her voice and face remaining an impassive neutral despite everything. The speed of the declaration surprised Minako. She would have assumed that Ranma wouldn't have been so cavalier with the potential life of an unborn child at stake.

"Are you sure?" Ami asked. "It could be dangerous."

"You said it yourself. It's not like we got any other options if we want to get home. I can't speak for you two, but I want to get back to our world," Ranma said.

So maybe her quick agreement was a good sign that things between Ranma and Akane weren't as bad as Minako had thought they were, and that Ranma really wanted to return home quickly. Yet Ranma had spoken so flatly that she could have been talking about something as banal as what the time of the day was.

Ranma turned to Venge and asked, "So what now?"

"There's nothing I can do. Even if I could take the crystal by force there's no way I'd do that. You're the one who will need to give it to me, Ranma-san," Venge said.

Ranma held her hand out and closed her eyes. In moments a gem slowly manifested in her outstretched hand. She held it out to Venge and, with the same flat affect she had had since a few minutes ago, said, "Here. Be careful. It'd be a shame if the same thing happened to you that happened to me."

"Don't worry I won't be absorbing it directly. Ignoring the risk of doing that, I wouldn't be able to use it very effectively that way," Venge said.

Venge held her hand out, a white light growing around it like it always seemed to do when she was in the process of using her magic. At some unseen cue she reached out and took the crystal from Ranma. There it stayed visible and firm, even as the white light dimmed from around Venge.

"Amazing," Venge whispered. "You'll be happy to know that it seems like the fetus remains healthy as well. That's a relief."

No reaction, either positive or negative, from Ranma. This was getting weird.

Venge pressed on, saying, "Let's see about sending you back home now."

"How will you know where to send us?" Ami asked quickly.

"I won't actually be directly sending you anywhere; I'll be trying to get you to return to your own world. If everything goes well I shouldn't need to know where that is for this to work; you'll just return home. The concept is pretty simple, it just takes an insane amount of magic," Venge said. "I'm starting now. Be ready. I have no idea where you'll be going and what you'll be facing there. I can't guarantee you'll be landing in a safe place."

Venge then held the gem in her hand towards the trio and closed her eyes. A brilliant white sprang up all around her, very different than the slow buildup Minako had witnessed in the past. Seconds passed. Then minutes. Finally Venge collapsed to her knees, breathing heavily.

"Umm... we're still here," Minako said flatly.

"Obviously," Ranma stated.

"Sorry. I wasn't able to do it. I don't seem to be strong enough to pierce the dimensional barrier for you after all. I'm sorry," Venge said. If anything, Venge looked the most disappointed of all of them.

"So what now?" Ami asked.

"Well I wasn't able to help you out, so I suppose I should return this to you," Venge said, holding the crystal out towards Ranma.

Ranma backed away from the gem, saying, "No you don't. I don't want anything else to do with it."

"You're sure about that?" Venge asked skeptically. "Then Ami-san, Minako-san, which one of you two wants it?"

"Not me. No way," Minako said, avoiding the crystal as if it contained bubonic anthrax or flesh-eating ebola or something. It was true that she wanted to have children at some point, but not when she was 16, and certainly not with some strange magic crystal as the father. Maybe in a few years after she had graduated from school and had met her prince: tall, handsome, romantic, rich...

"I'll pass as well," Ami declined too, albeit with less reaction than Minako had shown.

"Well, if you're sure," Venge said. "You three are really strange. I could think of countless people who would literally kill for this much power. Oh well. On the other hand I did just get it. If we try again in a few weeks, once I've managed to practice a bit, we might have better luck then."

"That's assuming we're still here and haven't left some other way," Ranma said.

"That is true. Hopefully you'll find some other way to return to your world. In the meantime, we are long past time to retire for the evening. Confederacy territory might still be several days away but we mustn't get sloppy," Venge announced.

Taking their cue, the guards as well as the three travelers broke and setup camp. The sun was low on the horizon, but there was still time to get everything prepared before the world was once again plunged into moonlit darkness.

Over the past few days, Minako, Ami, and Ranma had figured out the procedures of camp and could now actually help setup some tents. Unlike normal, though, rather than help, this time Ranma had gone off to the side, made a fire, and was heating some water. When it was fully boiling she poured it over her head, to no effect. She then put more water on the fire.

Minako was watching what must have been a painful ritual repeat over and over from an appropriate distance away. It was in its fourth cycle when Venge approached her.

In a low voice Venge whispered, "Keep an eye on Ranma-san. Something's wrong with her."

"What do you mean? She looks fine to me," Minako said.

"Something about her feels wrong to me. I don't know her very well so can't do anything, but I'm hoping you and Ami-san can help her somehow," Venge said earnestly.

"Okay, I'll talk to Ami-chan and keep an eye on her. I still think there's nothing wrong, but better safe than dead," Minako said.

"That's all I can ask for," Venge said, then wandered off again.

Off to the side, Ranma poured the water she had prepared over her head again, with still no visible effect.

Minako thought Venge's warning was strange. Ranma must have been healthy if she was strong enough to pour boiling water over her head so many times without seriously injuring herself. Come to think of it, they never had told Venge or the others what the deal with the hot water was, had they? Oh well, it probably didn't really matter.

* * *

Several days had passed since Venge had first tried to send Ami, Minako, and Ranma back to their home world. The group was now firmly in Confederacy territory and were getting close Endymion's last known position. While there was no guarantee they would be able to find the leader of the Confederacy there, there was every reason to expect that he would be nearby and would appear once it was known that Venge had come to parley.

For the journey, Ami had continued to ride in the carriage with Venge. The doors were thick enough that what they talked about couldn't be heard from outside the vehicle above the random noises of nature and traveling all around them, but whenever the door was opened at the end of the day Ami and Venge would emerge in the middle of some animated discussion filled with technical jargon which Ranma had no chance of understanding.

Minako seemed to have bonded with some of their new-found companions as well, spending a fair bit of time on the journey talking to various guards, most notably Turquoise. Their conversations were far easier to follow, both because they weren't talking behind closed doors as well as for the content of their discussions. Turquoise usually asked Minako about life back in Tokyo, and Minako had been more than happy to oblige.

In Ranma's opinion nothing Minako spoke about sounded too extraordinary. Minako censored out most of the business of being a Sailor Senshi and instead just described the relatively ordinary life of a schoolgirl in Tokyo. Turquoise, on the other hand, seemed routinely flabbergasted at the world Minako described with its cities of millions, mass media, and countless other trivialities which Ranma took for granted. Hearing Turquoise's reaction to things such as telephones and magazines cast almost as much light on the world Ranma now found herself in as Minako's description of Tokyo did of their home world.

Ranma noticed all of these details and countless others, properly cataloged them for future use in case they ever became needed.

She was very dispassionately analytical recently, that being the main effect of the Soul of Ice technique she now found herself using all the time. The technique protected her, shielded her from the chaos which had suddenly taken over her life. It gave her the clarity to properly analyze her situation without the distraction of pesky little things like emotions. It also prevented her from properly disliking the conclusions she had come up, no matter how distasteful they were.

She was pregnant. She was relatively sure of that. In addition to Venge's confident assertion of that fact there were other signs too, the most prominent being that her period was late. She had been expecting it weeks ago. She might have only been a woman part-time, but despite that her period still seemed to follow a regular pattern, and Ranma had gotten used to predicting it fairly accurately over the years. Each day which passed since Venge's announcement only made her more certain of her condition. There were other minor symptoms as well. All of this evidence might have been circumstantial, but there was a lot of it and it all agreed.

Starting from that foundation, what happened next was inevitable. The contract was quite clear. She was to be a man among men or perform seppuku. It was obvious that she couldn't possibly be a man among men while she was a woman, and moreover was pregnant. Her mother's assurances of her manliness no longer applied, the circumstances having materially changed since the time she had saved her mother's life. She would need to perform the ritual suicide. Not even Genma would be able to weasel out of this. It was a shame that he wasn't around to fulfill his part of the contract as well, but that didn't let her off the hook in any way.

For that matter, she didn't regret having to perform seppuku either. After all, what did she have to lose? She was stuck in female form, and pregnant to boot. Her marriage to Akane had failed in everything but name. She was trapped all alone on a world far away from home with no possibility of getting back. Besides the clothes on her back, Ranma only really had one thing left.

It was the one thing she had had her entire life. The one thing Genma had tried to sell over and over but somehow, despite all of the hijinks and impossible situations she had found herself in, Ranma had managed to maintain throughout everything. Her honor.

It all made sense to her. The Soul of Ice let it all make sense. It washed away her turbulent emotions and gave her the ice-cold clarity which she so desperately needed. Seppuku was really the only thing left to do, the only option remaining. For that she needed help.

Ranma waited until the group had stopped for the day. She couldn't perform the ritual suicide properly while the group was on the move, and she wasn't about to let her selfishness cause any problems for everybody else. Impatience, like every emotion, was definitely not a problem while she was using the Soul of Ice.

"Can I get your help to act as kaishaku for seppuku?" Ranma asked Turquoise once camp had been properly set up for the day, getting straight to the point and not bothering with the frivolities of greeting or the other pointless cruft of conversation.

Turquoise turned to face Ranma and asked, "Oh, hey, Ranma-san. I didn't hear you approach. What's a kaishaku? I've never heard of that before."

"It's an assistant for seppuku. I am going to perform the ritual and will need one," Ranma said.

"Seppuku? I'm not familiar with that ritual either," Turquoise said.

"It's a ritual suicide. I'm going to take a dagger and use it to cut open my stomach. After that the kaishaku, that would be you, will use a sword to cut off my head. It's usually considered best to leave a bit of skin at the front of the neck to keep it slightly attached, and it takes a great deal of skill with the sword to do so," Ranma explained. Throughout her explanation her tone was completely flat and non-emotive, speaking as factually as if she were talking about what she had had for lunch. Almost as an afterthought, she added, "It's a shame I don't have any white robes, but I suppose it will have to do."

"What? You want to commit suicide and you want me to help you? That's crazy! What do you want to do that for?" Turquoise shouted as much as asked.

"For honor," Ranma simply answered. Wasn't it obvious? Why else would somebody perform seppuku?

"Honor?" Turquoise asked. She then repeated herself, "Honor? That's a really dumb reason to commit suicide."

"Don't you care about honor?" Ranma asked.

"Honor is nice when you can afford it but it doesn't help you survive on a battlefield, and if it makes it so you can't help people who need it than it's worse than useless," Turquoise answered.

"So you won't help me then?" Ranma asked.

"No," Turquoise confirmed. "Look, I won't pretend to understand you and your weird customs. You do what you need to do. Just don't look to me to help you do something so stupid."

"Okay," Ranma said flatly with no trace of anything in her voice. She just turned around and wandered away from the woman.

She wasn't disappointed in Turquoise's answer. That would imply an emotion she didn't have. Nor was she annoyed, for the same reason. It did mean she had misunderstood Turquoise and would need to perform more work that she hadn't expected to have to do. It also left Ranma with something of a dilemma; who should approach next for help? The only two people she could think of were Minako and Ami, and neither was really accomplished with a sword. That would make the actual final blow they would deliver questionable at best, but Ranma was confident in her own abilities with a dagger. That should help mitigate that particular problem.

A bigger issue however, one which Ranma couldn't overcome, was that neither of the two girls really struck her as being particularly likely to assist her. Ami was more an intellectual girl and likely wouldn't have the ability or the proper attitude to be willing to help. Minako may have been slightly more combat tested, not that that was saying very much, but she struck Ranma as being more capricious and substantially less mature than Ami. It was hard to picture either of them holding a sword above her head, ready to end her suffering. Still, in the end, she didn't have much of a choice, and between the two of them Ranma decided that Ami was the lesser evil. If nothing else, Ranma was sure that Ami would at least take the ritual seriously.

When Ranma finally found Ami she was sitting and trying to figure out a way to make her meal more palatable. When she got close enough to talk, Ranma once again forwent the pointless greetings and small talk of conversation and directly said, "I need your help to act as kaishaku for me while I perform seppuku."

Ami choked and spat out a mouthful of water in front of her. Then, with her head down, she coughed several times. She choked out in between coughs, "Did you just say 'seppuku'?"

"Yes. It's a ritual suicide to cleanse the stain of dishonor," Ranma explained.

"I know what it is," Ami said, still coughing.

"So you know how serious it is then. Are you willing to help?" Ranma asked.

"Why are you going to perform seppuku?" Ami asked, shock and dismay coloring her voice.

"You remember what you overheard at the temple a few weeks ago, right?" Ranma asked. While her voice carried no tone of accusation, Ami still blanched at the reminder of her eavesdropping on Ranma and Rei and then her subsequently being caught. "I have a contract with my mother saying that if I failed to be a 'man among men' then I will perform seppuku."

"But you said that your mother said you were a 'man among men'," Ami protested.

"That was before I got stuck as a woman and became pregnant. What kind of 'man among men' is with child?" Ranma asked.

Ami didn't respond right away, looking lost in thought. A complex set of emotions danced across her face. That was fine. Ranma could be patient. Finally Ami asked, "Do you really think your mother would force you to perform seppuku if she knew what was going on?"

That was an interesting question. She had assumed that Nodoka would insist on it, but what did she know? She hadn't really learned too much about what drove her mother in the year she had actually known the woman. The typical Nerima hijinks had seen to that. She was always carrying that sword around, and she was always talking about honor, not to mention the constant references to the contract back when she had first met the woman.

A frown appeared on Ami's face when Ranma didn't immediately answer, and the longer Ranma thought about the question the deeper the frown became. Finally Ami could take it no more and said, "Well, even if you have the only mother in the world who would force her child to commit suicide in a brutally painful way, it doesn't matter what she would say. She isn't here so she can't force you to perform seppuku even if you think she would."

That was a much easier point to address. Ranma explained, "It doesn't matter if she's here or not, it's a matter of honor. It would be cowardly to hide from judgment when you know what it would be. That is the spirit of a samurai." She did absently notice how she had started to, ever so slightly, sound like Tatewaki Kuno.

"That's actually a complete fabrication. In reality samurai didn't really have much of a history of performing seppuku for honor," Ami said, slipping easily into the role of lecturer. "Think about it. It wouldn't do a daimyo much good if all of his samurai kept killing themselves for every little thing. While it's true it did happen from time to time, it was not nearly as much a part of the samurai tradition as the Japanese government suggested in their World War 2 propaganda. They just emphasized it as a way to build the national spirit and make people more willing to fight and fly kamikaze missions. Since then it has been popularized by mass media, but there is little evidence of significant amounts of seppuku during the Tokugawa Shogunate, and none at all from before that era."

Ranma dismissed this as not being pertinent to the action at hand and persisted in asking, "So will you help me or not?"

"No! There has to be something to live on for. I won't help you kill yourself for a stupid, old-fashioned, pointless reason," Ami said. "Promise me you won't do it."

Ranma didn't answer, instead wandering off.

Ami spilled the remainder of her dinner to the floor as she scrambled to follow after Ranma, but Ranma easily evaded her untrained pursuer. Given how poorly their discussion had gone, it wouldn't help her cause at all to have Ami following her when she tried to talk to Minako. Her presence could only make getting the girl's cooperation that much harder.

Ranma ended up finding Minako putting a tent up on the other side of the camp. She approached and asked, "Will you help me and act as kaishaku as I perform seppuku?"

It could have been comic if Ranma actually cared at all. The blonde girl kept working the tent for a few seconds, and then suddenly froze. After an abnormally long pause, she turned to stare at Ranma with a slightly gaped mouth. It took her a bit longer before she was finally able to ask, "What?"

"Will you help me and act as kaishaku as I perform seppuku?" Ranma asked again.

The second repeating of the question did Minako no good. She continued to stare. Louder and more incredulously this time she asked again, "What?"

"Will you help me and act as kaishaku as I perform seppuku?" Ranma asked yet again, as steadily and evenly as the first time she had asked the question.

"Seppuku? You mean seppuku right? As in suicide?" Minako asked, finally breaking through the mental block that had prevented her from processing Ranma's question.

"Yes," Ranma said.

"The one where you cut your stomach open in an extremely painful way, right?" Minako asked, dragging her finger across her stomach from left to right and then hooking it upward in a motion reminiscent of the blade used during the ritual. The shaking in her voice did not bode well.

"Yes," Ranma said, unperturbed.

"Why would you want to do that?" Minako asked, exasperated.

"It's a matter of honor," Ranma said, as if that would explain everything. It did.

"Honor? What honor? What did you do?" Minako asked.

"It's not what I did, it's what was done to me," Ranma explained.

"You mean the pregnancy?" Minako asked.

"That and being stuck as a girl," Ranma answered.

"But you didn't do anything wrong. You're just an innocent victim," Minako said.

"That doesn't matter. What kind of 'man among men' goes around bearing children? I have a contract to perform seppuku. My honor demands it," Ranma said.

"Don't give up the ship yet, there's always something to live for. Where's there's life there's hope. Don't give up your hope. Love is the greatest force in the universe, and love will win out in the end," Minako said in a torrent of words and emotion.

"If you say so," Ranma said, wandering off. It was obviously a lost cause. She would need to fall back to Plan D. The only question was what was Plan D?

Unlike Ami earlier, Minako didn't try to follow her.

* * *

Ranma sat in her tent, facing away from the entrance. There was a procedure for this and she was going to do it right if it was the last thing she would do. In fact, it would be the last thing she would do.

Failure to find a kaishaku had forced Ranma's hand, but that wasn't a problem. Improvisation and flexibility in the face of adversity were the hallmarks of Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu after all. If she couldn't commit seppuku as befitting a samurai there was another way.

Jigai.

Somehow it was appropriate to commit suicide in the female way too. After all, the whole reason she was committing suicide was due to a failure of her manliness, being both trapped as a girl and being with child. What could possibly be more fitting than to die as the woman she now was?

Still, even if it weren't the complete rigid ceremony of seppuku, there was still a procedure in place for the ritual.

The first thing Ranma had needed was a knife. Ideally she would have used a tanto, but that was both an impossibility and not even that important as she understood it. The exact blade she used didn't matter too much, only that it was sharp. Actually a dull blade may have been better in some esoteric sense, as further self-remonstration and proof that she wasn't trying to take a cowardly way out, but success was far more important than any symbolic repentance, and success demanded a sharp knife.

Acquiring the knife had been easy enough. Several of the guards had had extras. One of them had been more than happy to give Ranma one, saying that he was relieved that Ranma finally seemed be taking her responsibilities of defending the group more seriously. He had also expressed some confusion as to why she had wanted a knife rather than a sword, but Ranma didn't explain.

The only other thing Ranma had needed was some rope. It was not strictly needed, but it was the proper way to do it. This proved a bit trickier to locate, but she had found some along with some extra rations and other basic supplies in a storage compartment in the carriage. She wasn't actually sure she should be taking it, but figured it was for a good cause and nobody had stopped her. It wasn't like they wouldn't be able to reuse it after she was done as well.

Ranma had taken everything back to her tent. It was an appropriate place for the ceremony, somewhere she was sure to be found but secluded enough that she wouldn't be interrupted. She was going to do this right, with all the honor of a samurai. A female samurai, possibly, but a samurai nonetheless.

The first thing she did was to tie her legs together in a kneeling position. The spasms of death would likely cause her to flail, and without a kaishaku to help end the pain quickly it would cause a mess. Tying her limbs would ensure that she was found in an appropriately dignified position. Likewise she turned away from the door, ensuring that the first person to enter wouldn't be immediately greeted by the gruesome sight of her bloody corpse. Instead, at first glance, it could even appear that she was just resting.

Actually that was all that Ranma needed to do in preparation. Really jigai was so much easier than seppuku, which was its point after all, letting women have a much faster and easier death they could perform themselves rather than the long drawn out public ritual that men had to do. No poem. No ritual cleaning. Really almost no ceremony at all.

The only thing left to do was the act itself.

Ranma picked up the knife and closely examined it one last time. It looked as keen as it had when she had first received it and it should be more than adequate for the job.

She raised the knife in the air.

She steadied herself to make sure she wouldn't slip or miss.

She pulled the knife towards her neck with all the speed and precision she could muster.

As the blood sprayed out, covering the walls of the tent, Ranma's only thought was how surprisingly little it had actually hurt.

Ranma then closed her suddenly tired eyes and thought no more.

* * *

"Ami-chan!" Minako called from across the camp. "There you are. I was looking everywhere for you."

"What a coincidence. I was looking for you too," Ami said, once the pair had gotten a little closer together.

"You were?" Minako asked.

"I just had the strangest conversation with Saotome-san," Ami explained.

"You too?" Minako asked.

"Yes. She came to me and asked me to act as kaishaku while she performed seppuku," Ami said, a shudder going through her at the conversation she had had a few minutes ago. "Was that what you were trying to tell me a few days ago, about her being strange? That she was suicidal?"

Minako got a thoughtful look on her face, which somehow had the effect of making her look less intelligent rather than more. She said, "Beats me. I was only telling you what Venge-sama had told me. I guess it could have been that."

"Saotome-san was acting so detached too, I should have noticed. That's one of the signs after all," Ami murmured to herself. She had noticed Ranma's detachment but hadn't thought too much about it at the time. Given the major events surrounding Ranma, her behavior really should have triggered suicide warning flags to Ami, but Ranma had seemed so not-depressed that Ami hadn't paid too much attention.

Ami then said in a more normal tone, addressing Minako, "Anyway that's all I wanted to warn you about, that Saotome-san was looking for a kaishaku and might try asking you later. Let me know if she does. Maybe together we can talk her out of it."

"Oh, is that all? That's why I was searching for you for too," Minako said.

"Oh?" Ami asked. That could be a bad sign.

"Yeah. I already talked to Saotome-san and it's all taken care of now. I was trying to find you to celebrate," Minako said.

"It is? Are you sure? Normally it takes a person a lot of counseling and maybe even some drugs to get over their suicidal tendencies," Ami said. It wasn't that she thought Minako was lying, but usually suicidal impulses took much more than a single short conversation to address.

"Of course I'm sure. I told her all about the power of love and friendship and everything. She left right after and didn't seem worried at all anymore," Minako said confidently.

"Saotome-san didn't seem worried while she was talking to me either," Ami said in growing alarm. "Saotome-san hasn't seemed much of anything for the past few days."

"Hmm... now that you mention it, she has been like that for a while," Minako said, once again adopting that look of trying to think too hard.

"We'd better go make sure she's okay," Ami said, resuming her search for Ranma.

Minako followed behind Ami, hurrying to keep up with the brisk pace Ami was setting. She asked, "Where do you think she went?"

"I don't know," Ami started saying, but then noticed Turquoise a bit away. "Wait, there's Turquoise-san. Maybe she's seen Saotome-san."

"Hey, Turquoise-san, have you seen Saotome-san around?" Minako called out to the guard.

"Saotome-san? You mean Ranma-san? I still don't get why you call her that. Anyway, yes, I saw her earlier," Turquoise said. "You people are strange. You live in a world where death doesn't hide around every corner waiting to pounce, and then you look for every stupid little reason to kill yourself."

Ami shared a glance with Minako, and then said, "That's not very normal. We think something's wrong with Saotome-san. That's why we're looking for her."

"Oh. Just more weirdness of that woman, I guess. She's an amazing fighter, but really strange," Turquoise said.

"You have no idea," Minako agreed.

"Anyway, we're looking for her. Have you seen her anywhere?" Ami asked, trying to get back to the topic at hand.

"I saw her maybe half an hour ago," Turquoise said.

"That's no good. That's before she talked to me," Ami said.

"So now what?" Minako asked while they left Turquoise's company.

Ami kept walking while she thought. If she were feeling suicidal, where would she herself go? Either some place to think about it, or some place to actually commit suicide. If Ranma was just thinking about it then there was no particular urgency in finding her, so focusing on where Ranma would go to actually commit suicide was the better option. It would need to be somewhere where she wouldn't be interrupted. Given her sudden obsession with honor it would also likely she would be found after doing it as well, to make her action known and to provide some kind of validation for it.

Ami suggested, "Maybe Saotome-san went to her tent?"

"I think I saw her setting up over there," Minako said, making her way across the camp to where she had seen Ranma earlier.

Minako scratched at the entrance of the tent when they reached it, giving warning of her pending intrusion, while calling out, "Hey, Saotome-san. You in there?" She then pushed the flap open.

Upon seeing the redhead lying on the floor, Minako said, "Oh, there you are, Sa..."

She froze.

"What's wron..." Ami asked, her voice abruptly cutting off as she poked her head into the tent as well.

Blood covered the walls and the floor of the tent.

"Saotome-san!" Ami screamed. She brutally pushed Minako to the side and ran to where Ranma lay. Her training in first aid took over and she checked for a pulse, noticing the large slash across Ranma's neck as she did so.

"She's alive, barely! Go get Venge-sama! I'll try to keep her stable!" Ami commanded. When Minako didn't move she shouted even louder, "Now!!"

The tent flapped closed again while Minako hastened to find the magic user. Ami had seen what Venge had been able to do after the battle, even before getting the crystal from Ranma, and she was confident that Venge would be able to help. Ami just needed to keep Ranma alive long enough for her to arrive.

Ideally Ami would have liked to move the body outside to have more room to work, but quite literally every second counted and there was just no time. She frantically looked around for something, anything, she could use as a bandage. Nothing in sight struck her as being appropriate for the task.

Without a hint of modesty, Ami quickly pulled off her shirt and held it against Ranma's neck to try to staunch the bleeding as best she could. She then noticed that Ranma wasn't breathing.

If Ami had had time to be frustrated she would have been; by the insanity of Ranma's death wish, by the failure of her to notice it earlier, and even by the lack of extra hands to help Ami try to keep Ranma alive right now. She didn't have time, though, and all of her concentration was instead focused on using the medical knowledge she had to the greatest effect possible.

Ami maneuvered herself so she was kneeling beside the prone woman. She then used the hand not holding the makeshift bandage against Ranma's neck to clear Ranma's throat and straighten her neck as best she could. Then, holding Ranma's nose closed and trying to keep Ranma's neck as straight and clear as she could, Ami formed a seal with her lips over Ranma's mouth and breathed out.

Her technique was absolutely terrible, but she had no choice. She had to hold the shirt over Ranma's still bleeding neck lest she die from blood loss, but that meant that she couldn't really position herself or her patient properly to give optimally effective mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. She was on her own, though, so she did the best she could.

"Help!" Ami cried out while performing her life preserving activity. "Anybody!" She was running out of breath and getting light headed, but the camp was small so somebody was bound to investigate soon enough. "Help!"

Ami lost track of time, concentrating on keeping Ranma alive. Ranma's heart had stopped some time ago, but Ami tried not to think about the timer which that event had started. After a few minutes there would be permanent damage, both to Ranma's body and to her mind. A few minutes more and that wouldn't matter anymore.

At some point during her ordeal some other people had arrived, so Ami was able to hand over the care of the bandage and begin proper cardiopulmonary resuscitation. She had also managed to get somebody to cut the ropes around Ranma's legs as well, which couldn't have hurt the process either.

Eventually, finally, Ami heard Venge's familiar voice command, "Stand back."

Ami was only too happy to comply. 

Once she and her still unidentified helpers were clear, a bright beam of light emerged from Venge, traveled through the air, and passed directly into Ranma's body. It was very different than what Ami had been expecting, given the slow build up and the physical contact Ami had seen the previous times Venge had healed people.

Satisfied she could do no more, Ami carefully made her way out of the tent, making doubly sure to give Ranma, Venge, and that beam of light a wide berth. She emerged, exhausted, into the cool and rapidly darkening evening. Her arms were sore and her knees felt wobbly from all the shuffling she had had to do so many times in the cramped quarters of the tent.

"Here, take this," Turquoise said, handing a shirt to Ami.

Ami looked at the shirt in confusion. "What's this for?"

"Well you might want to cover yourself before you start attracting the wrong kind of attention. Then again, maybe you'd like some of that attention?" Turquoise asked suggestively.

"Eep!" Ami exclaimed. She had completely forgotten she had taken her shirt off earlier and now stood with only a bra above her waist. A bra and now a bright blush. She quickly pulled on the oversized replacement Turquoise offered her, which fit her not unlike a portable tent.

"So what was all that about?" Turquoise asked. "Why'd Ranma-san go and try to kill herself, and why didn't you let her?"

Ami sighed. How do you even begin to describe the situation of a person like Ranma? She said, "Saotome-san has a complicated story. It's not really my place to say right now. If she gets better you can ask her yourself, and if she doesn't, I guess there's no harm in telling you then."

* * *

"It just surprised me. I suppose given the parallel timeline there's bound to be some overlap," Ami said.

"Really? I only thought of that name because I thought it would be a good symbolic gesture, seeing how we are trying to make a new country of peace. It's not exactly a common name otherwise. You actually know somebody else named 'Serenity?'" Venge asked.

"Kind of. It's complicated," Ami answered. "Still, it's a good idea. I don't know about this world, but I do know in our world that certain leaders adopt a new name when they become heads of state. Seeing how we're going to be migrating and making a new country, the same premise would apply here, only more so. Speaking of which, I hope you are ready for the backlash."

Ranma first thought was that this was the afterlife, although that didn't quite match what she was expecting. She peeked around through slightly slitted eyes, careful to not give any other sign of consciousness.

"They'll get used to it, and I'm sure the offer of being able to live longer will placate more than a few of them," Venge said. "To be honest I don't like the idea either, but you saw how that meeting went. One thing I know for certain is if we stay here the fighting will continue, no matter what I or Endymion say. If we put some distance between our people then maybe things will settle down and our children, or their children, or their children can finally extend a hand in friendship."

"Still, the moon? That seems more than a bit drastic to me," Ami countered. "I'm sure that several people will question the sanity of that decision."

Ranma had expected to be surrounded by her relatives, or at least by some spirits of some kind. So far the afterlife wasn't anything like advertised. The only thing she saw was the inside of a carriage and Venge sitting on the other side of it.

"What other choice do we have? I'm not about to start another fight with another people over their land in an attempt to gain some peace with the Confederacy. One thing we can be sure of is that nobody is living on the moon, and with that crystal you gave me I'm sure I could make it habitable, even accounting for the life extension magic," Venge said.

"Don't be too sure about nobody already being on the moon," Ami warned.

One thing Ranma definitely had not been expecting in the afterlife was hearing Ami and Venge talk about who knows what. She also didn't expect a stiff back and neck, or for her legs to be sending signals of painful cramps. If this was the afterlife then there were a lot of people who had a lot to answer for back in the living world.

"What do you mean? How could people already be living on the moon?" Venge asked.

"I don't know about here, but in our world, in the past, there was a great kingdom which was located on the moon. Seeing how many other similarities I've noticed between our worlds it wouldn't surprise me if there was a civilization already living there in your world too," Ami explained.

"Aha. So there is a precedent for this, in a fashion. I'll just need to be careful when I go up there to begin with. If some people are already living there then we can figure something out, or go to a different planet, or something," Venge said.

With the realization she wasn't actually dead, the crushing depression from before returned to Ranma in force. It felt every bit as bad as every other day she had awoken since learning of her fate from Venge. It felt worse, in fact, reinforced by the knowledge she had failed in her one act of redemption. She almost sobbed, cried, and screamed in despair all at the same time, but before she did so she barely managed to attain the centered distance that the Soul of Ice both allowed and required. Properly equipped to face the world again, Ranma let herself move to get some of the kinks out of her body.

"Have you considered what would happen on the moon if something were to happen to you, or to that crystal? That could cause a..." Ami started saying before she noticed that Ranma had woken up. She abruptly changed her tone of voice, saying excitedly, "Saotome-san, you're awake. Thank goodness. I was afraid you'd never wake up from that coma." 

"Why'd you save me?" Ranma asked. "It's not like I can even be Sailor Terra anymore."

"I don't care about Sailor Terra. I don't want to see anyone die, let alone somebody I'd like to think of as a friend. How could we possibly just let you die like that?" Ami asked. She looked appalled at the mere question having been asked.

"I wish you hadn't saved me. It just means I'll need to do it all over again," Ranma said. She was no more frustrated or annoyed than when she had received the constant stream of rejections when trying to find a kaishaku before. It only meant that there was more work for her to do.

"This is all my fault, isn't it? You seemed okay until I told you that you were pregnant. I'm sorry. If I had known the grief it would cause you I wouldn't have said anything," Venge apologized.

"It doesn't matter. I would have found out on my own in a few months even if you hadn't told me," Ranma reasoned out loud.

"Why are you so upset anyway? For most women being pregnant is one of the happiest things in their life. I'll admit the circumstances of your pregnancy are a bit strange, but to the point of committing suicide?" Venge asked.

"It's a matter of honor," Ranma explained.

"Honor? What kind of honor means you need to kill yourself?" Venge asked in disbelief.

"It's a promise between me and my parents. We even have a contract. I should perform seppuku, but without an adequate kaishaku I'm stuck doing the best I can. Jigai seemed the most appropriate thing I could do in the circumstances," Ranma said.

"Seppuku? Jigai?" Venge asked.

"Seppuku, also known as harakiri, is when a samurai, basically a warrior, uses a dagger to disembowel himself. The person stabs the knife into their stomach, cuts horizontally, and then curves the blade upward. Then his kaishaku uses a sword to cut off his head. There's a lot more ceremony to it, but that is the main aspect of the ritual. Jigai is somewhat of the female equivalent, where the woman takes a dagger and uses it to slice open her neck," Ami explained. She neither emphasized nor downplayed the specific genders she named when performing the respective rituals.

"That sounds absolutely horrible," Venge said.

"Seppuku is the only thing which can remove the stain upon my honor, although even that path is closed to me. Jigai should work as an adequate substitute. It is the only thing I have left to live for," Ranma said. The irony of dying being the only reason to live was noted but disregarded as being unimportant.

"What about me and Minako-chan, Saotome-san? We've lost Setsuna-san already. We don't want to lose another friend," Ami said in an earnest and sincere voice.

"Sorry, but that has nothing to do with me. I don't have any way to bring you home, and there is nothing I can do to help. In fact it might actually be better this way. It will probably be easier for Venge-san to send the two of you back than all three of us. Just tell Akane that I died fulfilling my promise to my mother. She can tell my parents. They'll understand," Ranma said in a completely matter of fact tone of voice.

"Your promise?" Ami gushed out quickly. "Then what about... your promise... to... me... and to Minako-chan?"

"What promise?" Ranma asked. She couldn't think of any promises she had ever made to either of the two of them.

"You promised to train us in martial arts," Ami said quickly, words spilling out of her mouth like water down a waterfall. "You said we were too vulnerable without our transformations, remember?"

Oh, that. Did that even count as a promise? In a sense she had committed to training Ami and Minako, so in some way it could be considered kind of like a promise. Ranma remarked, "That's hardly the same level as my promise to perform seppuku." 

Venge looked lost at this transition in the conversation and kept silent during the exchange.

"Is it any less than a contract you stamped with fingerpaint when you were two years old?" Ami asked, still talking quickly. "You can fulfill both pledges, so why don't you?"

Ranma paused in thought over this. She hadn't thought too much of her words when she had said them a few days ago, but a promise was still a promise.

Ami pressed further, asking, "Does your contract to perform seppuku have a time limit on it?"

Ranma answered, "No, it doesn't."

"So you can do it after you've trained us. If you perform seppuku first you can't possibly train us, so there will be a loss of honor for that. If you train us first, you can fulfill all of your promises," Ami said desperately.

Ranma considered what Ami said. It had some validity. Even if she were to dishonor herself by breaking her promise, no matter how casually given, to Ami and Minako, the act of jigai would certainly absolve it. However it would still be a dishonor which she could avoid if she were to train them first. For that matter, even if she wasn't officially a master of Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu she did still have some onus, even possibly a need, to pass on some of her art to others. Ranma had no illusions of being able to train them to be as good as her, but she didn't need to. She only needed to train them well enough to not be so vulnerable, and then she could commit suicide in peace. She could wait a bit to fulfill her obligation.

"Okay. You and Minako-chan had better be prepared because you have a lot of catching up to do, and you'd better not pretend to fail just to stop me for fulfilling my promise," Ranma warned, still showing no emotion despite the content of what she said.

"So, Ranma-san is going to commit suicide because she promised to, but because she promised to help train you and Minako-san she is going to put it off until she has done so? What kind of..." Venge started asking, before being shushed into silence by Ami. She decided to change tack and instead said, "At least you have one reason to stay alive that you're willing to accept. I hope you can find some more reasons. We all value you and I would hate to see you throw your life away."

Ranma's reply, still in that flat declarative voice, was, "I doubt I will."

* * *

Last Updated: December 19, 2012


	7. Chapter 19

Chapter 19:

Ranma screamed. And screamed. And screamed. Screams loud enough to pierce even the thick stone walls of the palace surrounding her. The only interruption to her screaming was when she was forced to take a gasping, choking, ragged breath. Each time she did this the tears streaming from her eyes would get jostled just enough to fall from her face, leaving wet stains on her bed. As she yelled, cried, and sobbed, Ranma simultaneously fought for the insulated protection which the Soul of Ice technique provided.

After an hour of uncontrollable emotional torment, she finally found it. Instantly her voice silenced and her tears stopped. Her mind cleared, leaving behind only a feeling of confusion. How could she have been so out of control mere seconds ago over what now felt like a trivial fact of life?

It was getting harder and harder to find and to hold the cold impassivity of the Soul of Ice. Ranma still had some questions about whether the short term combat technique was meant to be used for the long periods of time she used it for, but it held throughout the day so she saw no reason to discontinue its usage, even if she did act a bit erratically in the late evenings and early mornings. That didn't matter very much.

Actually it hadn't mattered at all for the past three months, ever since Ami and Minako had finally gotten quarters elsewhere, citing the need for sleep. The others, mostly strangers, had abandoned the area around Ranma long before Ami and Minako had given up. It didn't bother Ranma, though. Well, it did kind of bother her, whenever she woke up and wasn't properly insulated with the Soul of Ice technique. However, once she was properly prepared to confront the day, it didn't bother her anymore. The fact that everybody had fled this wing of the palace, the whispered comments she could clearly hear around corners and down the hallways, the way rooms quickly emptied whenever she showed up; they were all just observations of reality she noted and filed away in case they ever proved useful to know.

It hadn't always been like this. Back when they had first moved to the moon, she would go weeks without an outburst. Her vocal mornings had only really started 7 months and 21 days ago. The last time she had gotten a full night's sleep had been 4 months and 13 days ago.

At first the castle residents had just thought that Ranma was prone to nightmares. It was only when the pregnancy had started showing in seriousness that the talk of hauntings, curses, and demonic possession had really started. A couple of the guards had mentioned some rumors about the strange lack of a father early on which clinched that idea, and now everybody avoided Ranma whenever possible.

Ranma didn't mind. How could she? That would require she feel something. Sadness, anger, guilt, shame; all driven away during the day by her martial arts technique. She just observed all of their behavior dispassionately. In the wee hours of the night, when she woke up with a hoarse throat and a soul-crushing depression, she minded, but not during the day. Not when she was actually functional and could go about the business of fulfilling her promise to Ami and Minako, which would free her to fulfill her promise to her mother and finally bring this farce to an end.

With her emotions under control, Ranma was now ready to face the world on yet another day. She started changing her clothes, putting on the loose dress that her very pregnant form required. She probably could have found a tailor to make some more masculine clothing, but during the day she didn't really see the point. It wasn't like wearing a dress it had any real impact on her seppuku pledge or on her training of Ami, Minako, and the others.

At first Ranma had just trained Ami and Minako, but during the trip back from the Confederacy to Greater Domain territories Turquoise had taken an interest and joined in as well. Several other guards had noticed and followed her lead. Most of them had seen Ranma fight during their ambush and had visions of floating above the battlefield and shooting blasts of energy across the field of combat. Ranma had no problem adding them and turning her training sessions into something of a makeshift class of sorts. It would slow down the initial teaching of Ami and Minako, but it was worth the tradeoff in the long-term. Once they had gotten good enough to actually start fighting each other, the competition and variety of opponents would speed Ami and Minako's development far more than their presence early in the training would slow them down.

That had been the plan. However most of those guards had quit shortly thereafter. Being chased around by swarms of bees had a tendency to drive the less dedicated off.

By her current estimate, it should only take two, maybe three, more years before Ranma could in good conscience consider Ami and Minako trained well enough that she could fulfill her seppuku pledge. Minako, and especially Ami, wouldn't be good enough to beat even Akane in a straight out duel, but they wouldn't be inheriting a school of martial arts either. They would know how to defend themselves, and that was all that Ranma needed. It would certainly take time, but with her near constant use of the Soul of Ice, patience was one thing Ranma had in abundance.

Even now Minako and Ami both knew how to take a fall, and were rapidly learning how to force an opponent to do the same. Minako in particular seemed to be picking up things remarkably quickly. Nothing like Ranma's own frightening speed of learning techniques, but Minako was learning things as quickly as any normal human could be expected to. She no longer took pratfall after pratfall in a fight, barely managing to stay one step ahead of disaster, and was shaping up to be quite the competent fighter.

Abruptly all of Ranma's plans for training and the rest of the day got pushed to the side for something much more urgent. Ami and Minako could wait and would probably even appreciate the few minutes reprieve. Her bladder couldn't and wouldn't. She wasn't annoyed, though; that would imply she felt something. She merely observed how much pregnancy affected her daily life and her combat effectiveness.

Ranma quickly waddled her way to the restroom, still showing more agility in her movements than most people ever did despite being nine months pregnant.

* * *

"If you will come with me we can get you all registered and help you settle in to your new home," Ami announced to the large group in front of her. She then led them out of the spacious room designed to handle the collection of new arrivals from the planet below. They had been transported there by Venge, not that she went by that name anymore. She had ended up adopting the moniker of "Serenity" nine months ago, when she had returned to her people with her audacious plan.

The adoption of that name, the migration to the moon, the presence of a leader named Endymion, and several other factors were definitely sounding alarm bells in Ami's head. There were a few too many coincidences for her to be entirely comfortable with. Then again, they were apparently in a timeline parallel to her own, so some coincidences were to be expected, including but not limited to the Japanese that everybody seemed to speak. There were enough differences as well, such as the Solar System having 10 planets and no asteroid belt, as to cast doubt on what she suspected.

Overall, Ami wasn't sure what to make of things, so she just let things sit and mulled them over. It was better to hold her tongue than to say or do something rash, after all.

Besides she had more important things to do on a daily basis than speculate about the overlaps between her home timeline and this one. She had taken on a de facto role of adviser to the newly-dubbed Queen Serenity of the newly-dubbed Moon Kingdom, and as part of her duties she was helping lead the logistics for the migration to the moon. Each transport had been for a few hundred people, and it seemed like they had been doing this for forever. The end was in sight, though. This was the last group of the last day. After this they would finally be finished.

The migration to the moon had been a long and difficult one. In fact, many of the members of the former Greater Domains were still angry at Serenity's decision and did little to hide their disagreement with their leader over her perceived cowardice and capitulation. The liberal use of magic which Serenity continually expended to extend the lives of everybody once they reached the moon as an enticement to migrate may have mollified the population, but only to a point.

That was another thing which Ami needed to investigate at some point. She assumed that Serenity's infusion of magic somehow stabilized the biological processes of the body and prevented them from decaying as time went by, but that was all an assumption. She wasn't entirely comfortable just leaving it at that. Indeed the entire concept of magic as a whole somewhat annoyed her. Others might have been content to leave the variety of phenomena unexplained and grouped under the generic label of magic, but she wasn't. Seeing how they were still here after all of this time, and seeing how much more prevalent magic was in this timeline than her own, Ami had every intention of figuring out at least some of the basic precepts of how it all worked. She was sure it would be useful once they managed to return to Tokyo.

It was obvious that despite how much magic was used here that nobody had really put much study into it. Case in point was the palace they now found themselves in. It was the solution they, primarily Ami, had puzzled out in regard to how to safeguard the kingdom against the event that something were to happen to Serenity or her crystal. On its own, the entire kingdom would be left in near vacuum, guaranteeing a quick and uncomfortable death to everybody. While trying to search out a solution to that problem, at Ami's suggestion, Serenity had discovered that the moon itself had some form of magical core somewhat similar a heart crystal within it. That had come as a complete surprise to everybody. The palace itself was designed to tap into that source and create a habitable environment irrespective of whatever else happened.

If a big thing such as a celestial body having something vaguely similar to a heart crystal had been unnoticed and unexplored for so long, Ami wondered what else she would be able to discover or learn in the coming weeks, months, or however long they were stuck here. With enough time and resources she might even be able to figure out a way to get home on her own.

That was in her off-hours, though. Between handling the administration of the migration and training in martial arts with what she considered to be a somewhat sadistic Ranma, she had far fewer of those than she would have liked. That was all set to change soon, though. With the migration finally coming to an end, one of those issues would be resolved in the very near future. That would free up a great deal of time for her to do some basic research, unless something else came up, of course.

The path from the teleportation room to the reception area was long familiar to Ami. She had walked it so many times that she could flawlessly navigate it backwards with her eyes closed. She had actually tried that once, just to see if she could. Today she kept her eyes open, as it helped her keep watch on the large group following her.

As she entered the main reception area, she announced to the group at large, "Please see one of these people behind the counter. It doesn't matter who you see, they all perform the same function. You will be asked to give your name, any family relations, what profession you previously had back on Terra, and any additional skills you may have. Once you are registered, you will be given some temporary housing and all the resources you need to get started. If you have been separated from any friends or family, please mention that as well and we will do our best to reunite you."

To her relief nobody questioned her instructions. She still felt a bit uncomfortable telling the migrants what to do, many of whom were twice her age or older. The ease and authority she had after months of practice might have muted the natural deference towards her elders that Ami's life in Japan had instilled in her, but it hadn't eliminated it.

Once this last group of people was finished being processed, Ami expected to spend the next few hours training with Ranma. She didn't look forward to that. Despite the fact that Ami was getting substantially better in her athletics, the training was just too painful to make it worth it. Not only would she emerge from any spar against Ranma in exhausted soreness, the occasional times she instead faced off against Turquoise or even Minako gave her little reprieve as well. Minako would take the opportunity of any sparring sessions they had to give her a few more bruises than were strictly necessary. She didn't say anything, but Ami suspected Minako was still somewhat upset at her for getting her involved with the daily torture sessions. It didn't help that Minako was so much better than Ami herself was.

She didn't blame Minako for that. She knew she would have been annoyed if she were in Minako's place, even if she did understand why it had been necessary. In fact, she was still somewhat annoyed at herself for having gotten into this predicament. However, despite several months of thinking, Ami hadn't yet managed to figure out a reason for Ranma to not commit suicide which didn't leave her and her friend covered in bruises at the end of the day; and she refused to allow Ranma to give up her life that easily.

Even with her back to the door, Ami was immediately aware when Ranma walked into the room. The pleasant murmuring of coworkers chatting and having a good time while working immediately stopped and the room became much more subdued. In this near silence, punctuated by the now discernible scuffling of feet on the floor, Ami could clearly hear a whisper to her side say, "Why hasn't anybody gotten rid of her yet? She's going to doom us all."

Even after all these months, Ami still couldn't get used to how everybody treated Ranma. Didn't they realize that she was the victim, not some omen of evil? She tried to do what she could, but it was a lost cause with the anti-social aura Ranma cast about. The single saving grace was that the constant whispering didn't seem to bother Ranma.

Ami pushed it out of her mind and said to the gentleman she had been talking to, "If you can tell Axinite-san over there the last time you saw your brother, I'm sure he'll be able to help you locate him."

The man walked over to the man Ami was gesturing towards, leaving her alone to oversee the operation again. By this point it was all well-established and procedures were well in place, very different to the disorganized mess of that first day. Everything now moved like a well-oiled machine.

The open stares and the subtle backing away of the closer members of staff told Ami all she needed to know. After so many months she would have thought they'd be used to it by now. Still, Ami turned to greet the supposedly cursed redhead as she approached.

"Have you seen Turquoise-san?" Ranma asked with her characteristic lack of expression or greeting.

"Hello, Ranma-san. No, I haven't seen Turquoise-dono today," Ami greeted back despite that. It was a bit of an unusual opening line from Ranma. Usually she just got right to the point of trying to bring Ami to the guardhouse when she arrived. Then again, usually Ranma had Turquoise in tow by this point as well.

"She's probably skipping the day, but you're not. It's time to train," Ranma declared.

"I need to finish up in here first," Ami said, suppressing her inner groan. She could have actually left the migrants in the very capable hands of the staff all around her, but she chose not to. It was the last day, and moreover she was in no rush to begin her physical abuse.

Ranma grunted her understanding and took a seat, patiently waiting for Ami to finish. There were only about half a dozen of people left. They were properly sorted in a matter of minutes, leaving Ami without an excuse to stand on.

"Let's find Minako-chan, then we can get started," Ranma said, standing back up.

"I'm off, everybody. Thanks for all your hard work," Ami announced to the group at large.

"Thank you, Ami-dono," Axinite answered back. Ami still found it a bit odd when people addressed her that way, but Serenity had started it and the others had followed suit. "Are you going to the party tonight?"

They had a minor celebration planned for the successful completion of the migration, before everybody scattered to the four winds. "Of course I'm going. See you all there," Ami assured the group. She would miss each one of them. They really were good people.

Ami turned to follow Ranma, who was already walking out of the room. As Ranma left, Ami could practically feel the stress evaporating from the room, leaving everybody much calmer than they had been moments ago. Ami followed moments behind, the chatting between coworkers once again starting up behind her.

Walking with Ranma was the same remarkable experience it always was. Whenever Ami walked around the palace on her own, palace life continue without notice of her presence. A couple of people might exchange a friendly greeting with her, but in general people went their own way irrespective of her. In contrast, whenever Ami walked with Ranma, people would inevitably notice and move away. A man may take the hand of a partner and pull her away, or a woman carrying something might coincidentally turn a corner as they approached. Ami thought she could hear whispering as well, and while she couldn't make out exactly what was being said, she was relatively sure she knew the gist of the conversations.

This behavior didn't change when they approached the guardhouse and the makeshift dojo therein. Even the guards treated Ranma like a pariah, despite Turquoise's and Minako's support. However there was one distinct difference at the guardhouse. Unlike the quiet silence they had walked through in the corridors, the boisterous sound of friendly sparring was loud and clear as they drew near to the guardhouse. That would inevitably change once Ranma's presence became known, but as they approached, Minako's loud voice teasing several guards was plain to hear.

"That's easy for you to say. We have to actually work at it, not like a certain trip-a-holic," one of the men said in response to one of Minako's quips. It was one of the voices of the numerous guards Ami sort of recognized but didn't really know.

"You spend most of a fight on your butt too from what I hear," another man joined in, also familiar but still a stranger to her.

"Well if you got it, flaunt it," Minako said with an easy tone of voice. Over the past several months she had gotten much more casual with all of the guards. With Ami spending most of her time either with Serenity or handling the logistics of the move, and Ranma being as was she was, Minako had taken to spending more and more of her time with them.

"You got that right," the first guard said lasciviously.

"If you put as much effort into practicing as you do staring at me you'd be a whole lot better, Alexandrite-kun," Minako said. Somehow being surrounded by all of the older men, who constituted the majority of the guards, had satisfied even Minako's boy-craziness. She wasn't drooling over every handsome man she saw anymore. "Tell you what. If you can manage to hit me I'll give you a kiss. How's that for motivation?" However she was acting much more flirty than she had previously, in Ami's opinion.

"Woo hoo! Now that's a deal," Alexandrite said, getting to his feet.

"Lucky. Go get her, Alexandrite-KUN!" the second guard cheered on.

"Aww. It's my turn next, right, Minako-chan?" a third guard said. Unlike the other two, Ami thought she knew this short, squat guard with the mostly bald head. If she had to say, she would have guessed his name was Labradorite.

"You'll just have to wait your turn, Labradorite-kun," Minako replied, confirming Ami's guess. Then, noticing Ranma, she said to her, "Hey, Ranma-san. Just one second, let me finish with Alexandrite-kun here first."

"On second thought, I think I'm done for today," Alexandrite said, quickly backing away from the floor.

"Yeah, we'll see you later, Minako-chan. Don't want to get in the way of your practice now," Labradorite agreed, leaving the floor with a speed calculated to be as quickly as possible without appearing to be in a hurry.

One by one all of the guards begged their leave and left. A very few stayed around to join Minako and Ami while they trained under Ranma, but as expected the vast majority disappeared quickly after catching sight of Ranma.

"You should be more serious with your training," Ranma chastised, irrespective of the guards who were still filtering out of the room.

"I'm just having a little fun, nothing special. No reason to go scaring everybody off or anything," Minako said.

Ranma didn't answer, instead taking a conspicuous martial artist stance in the center of the room facing towards Minako. That was nice of her. As often as not she would just outright attack without any warning. Despite this, Ami didn't let her guard down or take her eyes off Ranma, just in case.

"Wait, wait, wait. Where's Turquoise-dono? She's usually here by now," Minako protested.

"I don't know. I haven't seen her all day," Ami said.

"Jet-kun said he saw Turquoise-dono this morning over in the east wing, but nobody else has seen her since then. It's not like her," Minako said. This was something of a letdown. If anybody were to know where Turquoise was, it would have been Minako. Between her growing relationship with the guards, her naturally gossipy personality, and the free time she had around the castle, it seemed of the three of them, Minako knew the most of the happenings of the palace.

"If she wants to take a day off it's her own business," Ranma said.

"If only we could do the same," Minako muttered loud enough for Ami to hear. Ranma must have heard as well, even if she gave no reaction to the statement.

Minako edged forward cautiously. Usually when Ranma took a stance she would wait for the selected student to prepare and take a stance as well, but only usually. Sometimes it was a feint and she would suddenly attack without warning. Occasionally the target of her attack was actually one of the other students, too. One time Ranma had gone so far as to begin her sparring session before they had even entered the makeshift dojo by launching a surprise attack on Ami. Overall it was quite unpredictable and unconventional.

In fact the entire training regime was unconventional. Most martial arts teachers taught things like positions, postures, and how to hold the hands and feet at first. Ranma first taught them how to fall. That in and of itself wasn't too unusual as many forms of athletics, including some forms of martial arts, began by learning how to fall. What was unusual was the way Ranma taught them: by punching or kicking them painfully onto the ground over and over again. If it wasn't for the fact that Ami knew Ranma could hit a whole lot harder, she would have thought Ranma was attacking them at full force. After the first day both Ami and Minako had been covered with bruises, forcing Minako to join Ami and ride in the carriage as they left Confederacy territories. The second day had gone even worse, as both girls' mobility had been seriously hampered by their injuries and were even less agile in the face of Ranma's onslaught.

Once the group had arrived back safely in Greater Domains territory, things had only gotten worse. They had quickly moved on to being thrown bodily off the tops of low buildings, and, surprisingly, that had been one of the more benign exercises. The worst exercise in Ami's opinion was the time they had been forced to run through a forest with strips of roasted meat strapped around their waists. At first it had been strange and disgusting; then the wolves had shown up and it became absolutely terrifying. The final group of guards to quit had left after that particular session. Come to think of it, that was when the whispering about Ranma being insane and possibly demonically possessed had really started in earnest.

Between everything Ranma was throwing at them, it was a miracle that neither she nor Minako had been gravely injured thus far. After all, there was no way Ranma could actually ensure that falling off the roof of a building wouldn't break a limb, or that the chasing wolves wouldn't have made a quick snack of them, was there?

Ami had had some hope that as Ranma's pregnancy developed that it would somehow make things easier. That hadn't proved true. If the advancing pregnancy slowed Ranma down in any way, and physiologically Ami was sure it must have slowed her down, it wasn't to a degree that she could detect.

It had taken months, but finally Ranma started moving on to what Ami could have possibly vaguely considered similar to more traditional martial arts training, and even then it didn't resemble the scripted stances and katas or other forms of martial arts tutelage Ami had expected. At first it had primarily been Minako and Turquoise who, rather than simply trying and failing to avoid Ranma's frequent punches and kicks, had instead been thrown into combat against each other. Turquoise had dominated that first fight, but Minako had managed to avoid any decisive strike, to Turquoise's exceeding annoyance. Ranma hadn't actually said anything afterward either, further making Ami question what was going on.

The other guards joined in the occasional spar a few weeks later, but each one of those fights between students had been as uncommented upon as the fight between Minako and Turquoise had been. It was something of a milestone when Ami had her first fight against Minako a few weeks after that. She wasn't sure what had triggered it, she wasn't sure she what she got out of it, and she still wasn't sure what was actually going on, but it must have meant something.

Despite being somewhat over-matched, Ami looked forward to those occasional spars between students as well. No matter who she fought and how poorly she performed, she would always come out in better shape than the more frequent times she fought against Ranma, when she would wake up covered in bruises the next day. This was true even when she fought against Minako, who she suspected took the opportunity to take her revenge on Ami as best she could in a socially acceptable way.

Ami felt as though she was developing her abilities as well, despite what she felt was a woeful lack of instruction from Ranma. For example, she had gotten just good enough that she could tell when she faced the others, both Minako and the very few guards who still remained, that they each fought very differently from each other. Most likely that byproduct from the lack of formal training and the necessity of having to figure out what they were doing on their own.

For example, Turquoise fought dirty, for the lack of a better term to describe it. She would use unexpected props and tools to distract her opponent, target any injuries her opponent had, and had no compunction of following up strike after strike when her opponent was on the ground. Ami was sure that it violated any number of rules in any number of formal martial arts schools, but Ranma never put a stop to it. Ami made doubly sure to watch her back and stay light on her toes whenever she faced Turquoise.

On the other hand, Minako seemed to have the knack for getting out of harm's way. She would somehow manage to be where Ami's fists and feet weren't. Ami would need to plan any number of follow-up attacks whenever she began an offensive against Minako, focusing especially on planning for any unexpected position Minako could somehow end up in. At first Minako's evasions seemed more the byproduct of clumsy mistakes, but regardless of the cause she would still end up on her butt with the attack sailing clear over her, and more than once Ami as well when she got caught by a flailing foot. More recently Minako's clumsy-yet-fortunate mistakes were gradually disappearing, deft dodges and precise pirouettes being much more the norm now.

These were the same maneuvers Ami saw Minako performing, or more accurately trying to perform, against Ranma. When facing Ranma, Minako's infuriating agility and seemingly impossible luck had little of the effect it had against Ami, Turquoise, and the three other guards who had stuck around. Against the very pregnant redhead, Minako ended up on the ground due to a stiff arm or quick leg sweep just as frequently as everybody else.

Ami's analysis, as well as Ranma's training, was interrupted when a guard burst into the room pushing a man in front of her held at sword-point. It was unusual for anybody to interrupt practice. The stigmatized Ranma made sure everybody kept as much distance as they could. That the guard was escorting somebody at sword-point was unprecedented and ensured everybody gave the entering pair their undivided attention.

Everybody except Ranma. She took advantage of Minako's distraction to sweep her legs out from under her and throw a punch which stopped centimeters from Minako's throat before calling a halt to the fight.

"Who's that?" Ami asked the entering guard, Hackmanite if she recalled correctly.

"I found this scumbag carrying Turquoise-dono's dead body," Hackmanite said.

"What? Turquoise-dono is dead?" Ami asked in shock as Minako got to her feet.

"Somebody take this filth away and I'll explain," the guard said. Amazonite, one of the three remaining guards who was watching Ranma train Minako, took the cue and manhandled the man to the ground before putting restraints on him and taking him out of the dojo.

"I was over near the gardens when I saw this man carrying a body. I thought to myself that it couldn't be good so got the drop on him. Once I had him under control and got a good look, I see that it's Turquoise-dono," Hackmanite said, visibly seething in anger.

"Where did you leave her?" Ranma asked flatly. "Show us."

"Uhh..." Hackmanite said, looking hesitantly towards Ranma.

"Come on, Hackmanite-chan. The faster we can get to Turquoise-dono's body the better, and it won't take that long," Minako prompted her.

"I suppose so," Hackmanite slowly agreed.

Much more quickly than she spoke, Hackmanite led the small group across the palace grounds to where she had left Turquoise's body. A quick examination of the corpse revealed a large stab wound in her back, the blood from the wound staining her clothes red. A trail of blood drops led through the corridor.

"We have to bring her to Serenity-sama," Minako said with a surprising amount of eagerness in her voice.

"Yes, she should be informed, but do we need to bring the body to her? We should at least clean her up a bit before that," Ami said. She really didn't understand her friend sometimes.

"No, you don't understand. You said her heart crystal thing is as strong as the Ginzuishou, right? That means Serenity should be able to revive Turquoise-dono, like Usagi-chan revived us, remember?" Minako said quickly.

"Wait, wait, wait, revive her?" Hackmanite asked. "I remember hearing that Serenity-sama was doing something to extend everybody's lives, but that's a far cry from resurrection."

"We should investigate where these blood drops go to as well," Ranma declared. "You three take Turquoise-san to Serenity-san. I'll investigate where this blood leads to."

"Hold it. These people, whoever they are, killed Turquoise-dono. They're dangerous. You can't go alone, especially in your condition," Hackmanite said.

"Does that mean you're volunteering to go with her?" Ami asked.

"Uhh..." Hackmanite prevaricated.

"You three would just hold me back," Ranma said, letting the guard off the hook.

"If you say so," Hackmanite said, relieved.

"Here. You grab her arms and I'll grab her legs," Minako suggested to Hackmanite, attracting Ami's attention to their positioning. When Ami next turned around, Ranma had disappeared from sight.

"Do either of you know where Serenity-sama is?" Hackmanite asked.

"I think she's in the teleportation chamber," Ami said.

"Okay, lead on," Minako said, as if she and Hackmanite weren't carrying the lifeless body of their former friend between the two of them.

Ami led the pair through the castle. The difficulty of carrying Turquoise's body made Minako and Hackmanite clumsy, and several pratfalls could almost have made the trip comic except for the horrible tragedy surrounding the circumstances. Luckily they didn't run into anybody during the trip. Explanations about what they were doing with Turquoise's corpse would have been difficult at best.

Ami went ahead once they reached the teleportation chamber, hoping to mitigate the chaos which would happen once the other two came in with the bloody corpse. Inside the chamber, Serenity was talking with several other members of the palace staff.

"Hello, Ami-dono. Is it that time already? I thought I had more time before we tried the portal again," Serenity said when she noticed Ami entering the room.

"I'm afraid that's not it, Serenity-sama. There was an incident earlier which demands your attention. It might be best if everybody else left the room," Ami answered back.

Serenity raised an eye at this request, but dismissed everybody from the room. Hiddenite, one of Serenity's personal attendants, stayed behind, but that wasn't really a problem. The dismissing of people was more to prevent subjecting them to undue distress at seeing Turquoise's corpse than anything. If Hiddenite wanted to stay around then that was her own business.

"Hackmanite-san was walking out near the gardens and stumbled across something most distressing. There's really no easy way to put this. It seems like Turquoise-dono has been killed," Ami explained.

"What?" Serenity asked with a gasp.

"It's true," Minako said as she and Hackmanite caught up to Ami. This elicited a second gasp when Serenity saw the body they carried between them.

"Do you know what happened to her?" Serenity asked.

"We didn't take too much time to investigate, but it looks like she was stabbed in the back," Hackmanite said.

"This is absolutely terrible. You were right to bring her to me. We will need to arrange a funeral, with all the state honors we can manage. It's the least we can do for her after all that she has done for us, for me," Serenity said in a quiet voice.

"Actually," Minako said slowly, "we were thinking you might be able to revive her."

"What?" Hiddenite exclaimed.

"You know, bring her back from the dead? Like a zombie, only alive for real and not like a movie clip or something," Minako said, miming out the part of a cliche member of the walking dead. The blood covering her arms from carrying Turquoise actually helped create the proper effect, although it was still far from convincing.

"We know it can be done. We know somebody who was able to bring people back to life, and you have maybe as much power as she did and a lot more experience as well. You should be able to revive Turquoise-dono," Ami added.

"I'll do no such thing. It's unnatural, bringing people back to life," Serenity said firmly.

"But you're extending the lives of everybody on the moon. That's not exactly natural either. This isn't that much different from that, is it?" Minako asked, much less flippant than she had been moments ago.

"There's a big difference. Call it the laws of the universe, call it equivalent exchange, call it destiny, call it whatever you want. Resurrecting people is wrong. It's the same reason I'm not making anybody, including myself, live forever. The nature of life is to change, and if everybody lived forever it would be a disaster. As much as it pains me to say, we have to let Turquoise-dono go," Serenity said.

Serenity firm rejection of the resurrection left Ami crushed. It was almost worse than when Hackmanite had first announced Turquoise's death. Actually it was worse, the hope from despair clutched away so quickly.

Minako seemed to be on the verge of protesting when Serenity cut her off, chastising the just-entering Ranma by saying, "Ranma-san, you really shouldn't be running like that in your condition."

"There really is no time to discuss this. Step away from Hiddenite-san," Ranma said, still moving at a brisk pace towards them.

"What?" Serenity asked confused.

"What are you talking about?" Hiddenite also asked.

"I followed the trail of blood from where we found Turquoise-san's body, and..." Ranma started saying.

She was interrupted as Hiddenite lunged forward at Serenity, dagger drawn. The similarity between the current situation and the circumstances when they had all first met was not lost on Ami. Rather than a Mouko Takabisha, though, Ranma shouted, "Kijin Raishuu Dan" and swiped her arm through the air.

Ami caught a sight of something flying through the air, where it impacted Hiddenite's shoulder, leaving a large laceration and knocking her backwards. This time the dagger didn't manage to sink into Serenity's flesh before being knocked across the room.

"I found that they led to the servants' quarters, specifically to the door of Hiddenite-san's room," Ranma explained.

Ami took advantage of the situation and ran over to take possession of the dagger before Hiddenite could regain her feet. She might have been seriously injured and outnumbered, but there was no reason to take any chances.

"What's the meaning of this, Hiddenite?" Serenity asked the now prone and bleeding woman.

"Barslem-sama was right. You've betrayed everybody in the Greater Domains to the Confederacy. How you could surrender?" Hiddenite accused, full of bluster despite her obviously inferior position. She seemed utterly unaffected by her injury, probably due to shock.

"I didn't surrender to Endymion," Serenity said.

"Didn't surrender?" Hiddenite shouted, "Didn't surrender? How else do you explain this cowardly retreat to this barren wasteland, leaving our homes to that barbarian?"

"We came to an agreement that we would never have peace as we were, and I decided that we should instead make a new life somewhere we could find it," Serenity said.

"Liar! I know I'm not the only person to think this way. There are others, countless others, who feel you have lost your way. The sooner you're dead, the sooner Barslem-sama can return, restore us to our rightful place, and drive out Endymion," Hiddenite said.

"Assuming you're right, just how would you go about getting everybody back to Terra?" Minako asked Hiddenite.

Hiddenite spat at Minako, and then said, "Barslem-sama will find a way."

Serenity took out her crystal, healed Hiddenite's rapidly bleeding shoulder before she bled to death, and then said in a weary voice, "Take her away. Try and find out what you can. We'll decide what to do with her after that, depending on how much she cooperates."

Hackmanite approached to take custody of the former servant. As she did so, Hiddenite shouted out, "You may have stopped me, but we are legion. One of us will get you eventually, Venge. You'd better use your magic to grow a new pair of eyes behind your head, because you can't escape us all."

Once Hackmanite had taken Turquoise out of sight, Serenity let out a sigh. "I knew some people were upset, but I had no idea they were that upset. I fear I may have made a mistake bringing everybody here."

"There was no other choice. We talked about it, remember? Not just us, everybody agreed," Ami said.

"Yes, but even so, I didn't really give them any choice, did I?" Serenity said, and then sighed again. "Well, what's done is done. Actually since you are all here did you want me to try to send you back to your home world again now?"

"About that," Minako said. "I don't want to bite the gift horse or anything, but how much longer until you think you will have enough power to actually get us home?"

"It's hard to say. My power seems to be hitting a plateau, so if it's not soon then I fear it may be outside of my abilities. I was actually going to mention it if I didn't succeed today," Serenity said, disheartened. "It seems that today is full of disappointments."

"Before we try that there is something else we should talk about," Ranma suggested plainly.

"What is that, Ranma-san?" Ami asked.

"I think I've just gone into labor," Ranma said. There was nothing in her voice or bearing which suggested that fact except the large wet stain on her loose dress.

"You are? What should we do!" Minako exclaimed.

"Calm down. Women have been doing this since the beginning of time," Serenity said. "Why don't you go get some water and some towels? You can bring them to Ranma-san's room."

* * *

Minako retrieved some water from the kitchen, scrounged up some towels, and met up with the other three in Ranma's room where she handed over the collected supplies. She tried to help out after that, but Ami and Serenity had things well in hand and Minako found herself getting more in the way than doing anything helpful. Rather than cause any problems, Minako instead exited the room.

With nothing left to do, Minako found herself pacing outside the door. Her actions were reminiscent of a nervous father awaiting the birth of his child, even though Minako had nothing directly to do with Ranma's pregnancy. However there was nobody around who could have made that analogy, or draw the incorrect conclusions from it. For better or worse, nobody really poked their head in to investigate. The area around Ranma's room was effectively abandoned due to Ranma's presence.

Minako did find things a bit eerie as she impatiently waited outside of the quiet door. Her main source of knowledge of childbirth was from television and movies, and they informed her that it was supposed to be a busy, noisy affair with lots of grunting and yelling. Despite this, the room was practically silent. Except for Ranma's, Ami's, or Serenity's occasional voice being heard, it could have been an empty room Minako was pacing outside of for all the noise coming from it. As it was, there was no indication that anything more exotic than a civil tea party was happening behind the door.

Her waiting in silence was eventually broken by the cry of a baby with what sounded like a healthy set of lungs. Minako's interminable wait was over and she pushed the door open. Inside she saw Ranma on her bed, still attached by an umbilical cord to an oddly reddish-purple baby with something of a pointy head covered with some downy light red hair. Despite her rather strange look, the baby was a girl it seemed, confirming Serenity's prediction from months ago.

Even more shocking than the strange sight of the strange newborn infant was the sight of Ranma with a tear coming down her face. Minako hadn't seen a shred of emotion from Ranma in months. It could have been a bead of sweat, or possibly an optical illusion or something, except a second tear from Ranma's other eye confirmed it wasn't just her imagination.

She seemed to be the only person who noticed. Serenity was busy caressing and cleaning the crying baby while Ami tied off the umbilical cord and cut it. Serenity then wrapped the infant in a towel and handed her to Ranma, who choked back a sob as she picked up the little girl.

This sound did catch the attention of the other two women in the room. All three of them watched as Ranma choked back another sob. Then, to Minako's amazement, Ranma started openly crying, in chorus to the baby's cries only much louder. After months of stoic emotionlessness, it was weird to see.

"Is everything alright?" Serenity asked gently.

"No," Ranma almost shouted, between gasps of breath in her sobbing. "It's all so wrong."

"Nothing's wrong with her. She looks perfect," Serenity reassured Ranma.

"I know she looks a bit strange but I assure you that this is quite normal, despite what you see on television. Her head and body will adjust to look a bit more like what you expect in the next few days," Ami agreed.

"Not... the baby!" Ranma shouted, her frustration at being misunderstood doing nothing to dampen her misery. She was barely understandable, her words being choked out as her body convulsed with sobs. "Me! This... this body! Being trapped! Here! Everything! Akane... Akane was supposed... to be the one doing this, not... not... not me! Who heard of... a 'man among men' giving birth... to children!"

"'Man among men?' What's she talking about?" Serenity whispered to Ami.

"Didn't you know?" Ranma answered instead, having heard the quiet question. "Couldn't you... tell... with your all powerful magic? I'm really a... a guy! I'm... married back on our... world! Akane's my wife! She... she's the one... who was supposed do this... not me!"

Ranma broke down into another bout of wailing. Despite this she held the baby in her arms in tender safety.

"Is that all true?" Serenity asked incredulously to Ami and Minako.

The cat was out of the bag by Ranma's own mouth, so trying to keep it a secret to prevent her embarrassment was over. Minako confirmed, "For the most part."

"What happened?" Serenity asked.

"What happened? What happened? I'll tell you! It's all the fault... idiot panda... mom... awful curse... and useless Senshi... and... and..." Ranma blubbered out almost incoherently.

"Ranma-san got a curse to turn into a girl," Ami said, more composed and much more understandable than the sobbing redhead. "She was originally a man, and newly married on our world, to a woman named Akane. The rest is basically what you already know."

A flash of an idea suddenly struck Minako. It was so obvious in retrospect that she wondered why she hadn't thought of it before, although maybe it would have been a bad idea before the baby was born so it could have been better this way. She said, "I just had a good idea. Now that you know about the curse, can't you use your crystal thingy and get rid of it?"

Serenity was silent in contemplation for a bit, then said slowly, "I don't think so."

"Why not?" Ranma asked. "Can't you just use your miracle crystal... and fix everything?"

"It's not that easy," Serenity said. "You have a lot of strange magic but I don't see anything which looks like a curse, and if I started poking at the things within you without a better understanding it would be extremely dangerous."

"How dangerous?" Ami asked.

"I could accidentally make an arm fall off, or stop her heart. I might even turn Ranma-san into a brain-dead zombie," Serenity said. "Magic is a potent force, and it can be one of the most dangerous weapons around if it's not used carefully."

There was an obvious connection in Minako's mind, from brain-dead zombie to being attacked by a crazy undead monstrosity. Ranma could already knock her flat without even trying; if she suddenly got an urge to eat her brains in addition to that, it would be absolutely terrible. She exclaimed, "You can't do that! We don't even have any chainsaws or shotguns!"

Ami didn't respond to Minako's outburst, instead asking, "Can't you just turn Ranma male again then, ignoring the curse? You are extending everybody's life somehow after all, so you must know something about manipulation of physiology."

"Not exactly. It's like the difference between making an intentional gate somewhere and what I've been trying to do to send you home. It's easy to maintain a low-level field across everybody to slow the speed of a body's degradation. I wouldn't even know how to get started changing Ranma's gender. Even if I could, there's no guarantee that she would end up in her original body. In fact, chances are she'd end up in a totally new one. There's the baby to think about too," Serenity said.

"What do you mean?" Minako asked.

"She was just born. Would you want to deprive her of her mother at this time when she needs her the most?" Serenity asked.

"No!" Ranma said forcefully, surprising everybody in the room, including herself judging by her reaction to what she just said.

There was an awkward pause, which Serenity broke by saying, "It's good to see you are putting the baby first."

"Speaking of the baby, what are you going to name her? We can't keep calling her 'the baby' after all," Minako asked.

"I'm going to name her Setsuna," Ranma said, fondling the red-haired, pointy-headed baby with the strange skin color in her arms.

"Setsuna?" Ami asked. Her face instantly turned pale, and she spoke with a clear tone of worry in her voice. "You're kidding me!"

"What's wrong? That's a fine name. 'A moment.' Very profound," Serenity said.

"Are you okay, Ami-chan? You look like you've seen a ghost," Minako asked. It was obvious something was bothering her friend, even if she couldn't figure out what it was.

"I... It's..." Ami said, hesitating and stammering. "It's nothing."

"I'm naming her after the fourth woman who left Tokyo with us. She gave up her life trying to save us, and this is my way of honoring her. Her sacrifice will not be forgotten," Ranma said. Tears were still streaming down her face.

In her arms, the newly named Setsuna had stopped crying and gave a gurgle.

* * *

Last Updated: December 21, 2012


	8. Chapter 20

Chapter 20:

Ami found that she had grown remarkably contemplative on the nature of curses and blessings in the year since the birth of Setsuna. In a very real way, both were the same thing. It was all a matter of circumstances and perspective.

A classic hypothetical example would be eternal life. Many people would consider it a great blessing to never live in fear of death. However, if the situation were slightly changed and a person was buried alive, living an eternity in unending torment would quickly become a vile curse. It all depended on circumstances.

Less hypothetically, there was Ranma's predicament. On the surface, Jusenkyo transformations were a curse. However, given that part of Ranma's soul had been trapped in the spring, that designation of being a curse wasn't entirely clear. It could be that the so-called curse was actually the least bad option possible in the situation. This ambiguity extended to the present time as well. If Ranma could turn male, it would certainly present logistical problems in nursing and caring for Setsuna, seeing how the Moon Kingdom lacked mass-produced milk and baby formula. Being trapped in female form also provided much more stability and consistency in Ranma's and Setsuna's life than if she constantly changed genders. In that light, Ranma's current and still unexplained entrapment in female form could be considered a curse, or it could be considered something else. It all depended on perspective.

Of all the examples Ami could think of, though, the one most prominent in her mind was the ability to see the future. The traditional view was that the ability of foresight, like Cassandra had in Greek mythology, was a definite blessing. Likewise, Cassandra's predicament, who according to mythology was enchanted by the gods such that nobody would ever believe her knowledge, was a definite curse.

From Ami's perspective, it was the other way around.

The reason that that particular ability was most on her mind was that she was actually in the process of living through it. Ami was thoroughly convinced that she, Ranma, and Minako had somehow ended up in the correct timeline, only in the wrong time. They were likely in either their own far past or their own far future. Given all the coincidences, especially Venge taking the name of Serenity and renaming the Greater Domains to the Moon Kingdom after their migration to the moon, she was sure it was the past and that she was witnessing the foundation of the same Moon Kingdom from thousands of years prior to her own time.

Thus far she hadn't told anybody anything yet. What could she tell them, anyway? That they were from thousands of years in the future? That all of this would be destroyed at some uncertain point yet to come when Beryl and Metalia corrupted the people of Terra to start a war? Even if she could convince them she was telling the truth, the only thing that could really accomplish would be to change her own past, write herself out of existence, and destroy causality in some unknown and unpredictable way.

Up until this point, Ami had never really considered the burden Chibi-Usa had lived under when she had visited them.

It was funny, too, in an ironic and morbid kind of way. Ever since she had first discovered the existence of the Moon Kingdom, Ami had always had a curiosity of that world. What would living there have been like? What had its history been? However, her interest had been much more of an academic, scholarly one. It most definitely hadn't been a you-get-sent-there-and-by-the-way-if-you-happen-to-make-a-mistake-you-could-end-up-changing-history-so-that-you-are-never-born-and-create-a-paradox-of-unknown-implications one.

As a result, she found herself living in a regular state of fear that she would somehow accidentally act as the butterfly of change which would create a hurricane of paradox, possibly destroying her and everything she knew. Minor, almost expected, events only added to her worry. For example, Setsuna had shed all of her red hair shortly after being born. That was hardly unusual; it was practically a universal phenomenon in infants. It being replaced by a green variety a few month later was less so. That had added yet more evidence to Ami's theory, and therefore to her concerns.

Any time she allowed herself to think about it, she could literally feel the adrenalin coursing through her chest; the dull clench of anxiety made it difficult to even breathe naturally. It had become far too common a sensation for her.

Ami found herself second-guessing, third-guessing, and fourth-guessing everything she said and did. For example, what should she do in regard to her connection to Mercury? She wanted to recreate her connection to the planet, but was she supposed to form the Sailor Senshi, or was that supposed to happen later in the future? Given the unusual and non-Japanese names of the Sailor Senshi, she expected that she should be the one to cause their creation and subsequent naming. Then again, it could just as easily have been somebody else who subsequently decided to use the word "sailor" for some unknown reason.

If she took the risk and did go about trying to recreate her connection to Mercury, should she start with that planet directly? Alternatively was she supposed to start with that strange tenth planet, Nemesis, as an initial experiment? It could have been the first attempt at linking a person to a planet had failed, shattering that planet and turning the core of it to Evil Black Crystal. Then again, it could have been that the devastation of Nemesis had happened later, once Death Phantom had been banished there.

Another conundrum was the Mercury Computer. Ami wanted to recreate it as well. However, when had it been made? Introducing such a powerful instrument before it was due to arrive would certainly have substantial impact on the development of this fledgling country. If she were to make it, would it be cheating to model it after the broken computer she already had?

There were countless other questions, but they all fell under the same broad category. What should she do, and what should she just let happen?

Cassandra's predicament from Greek mythology was definitely a blessing from Ami's perspective, given her own present circumstances. She would have gladly taken the "curse" to not be believed, so she could live without fear that she would make a mistake.

Ultimately, Ami concluded that she could doom herself and everybody she knew just as easily through inaction as through action. It didn't help at all with the frequent feelings of dread which plagued her, but it was a reasonable enough argument for her intellect that it allowed her to act without being completely paralyzed by fear. She decided that she needed to do whatever she would do, and hope that she wasn't making a drastic mistake.

To that end, the first step was to remake the Mercury Computer, not in the least because it would be invaluable in aiding her with any other research and development she would perform afterward. The work ended up being both far less complicated and far more complicated than Ami had ever imagined it could be.

The reason it was less complicated then she expected was that it was apparently relatively easy to create temporary objects using heart energy, as she had taken to calling the so-called magic which surrounded her. Seeing how her current theory was that its source was heart crystals, she was tentatively using that term, pending further investigation and revisions to her theory. Regardless of how it worked, though, making transient physical objects using heart energy was surprisingly simple. It was almost as simple as creating the blasts of energy the Sailor Senshi threw around on a regular basis. Making a permanent object, such as the palace Serenity had created on the moon, was far more difficult; but so long as the object in question was only needed to exist for a short period of time, creating it wasn't much harder than making the unending supply of roses Tuxedo Kamen seemed able to generate.

Despite that unexpected welcome surprise, recreating even a temporary emulation of the Mercury Computer still proved to be exceptionally complicated. Even with the, albeit broken, model of the computer to work off of, Ami barely knew how to get started copying it. Shamelessly copying the device, and the associated ontological paradox of doing so, didn't concern Ami half as much as the act of creating a Mercury Computer in the first place worried her. A bootstrap paradox was still a paradox, begging the question of where the design for the computer had come from in the first place, but it wasn't like it was inconsistent with itself in any way.

It had taken the better part of a year, but Ami had finally managed to create a prototype of a computer which could turn on and display content of a sort on a screen. Her main conclusion thus far was that whoever had created the initial computer must have been a genius. Even after spending a year working on it, even after creating a quasi-working model, Ami still only barely understood how it worked. She was learning more about it each day, but that did nothing to diminish her respect for the people or person who had created the device in the first place.

She had been aided in no small part by the small group of magic users who had taken an interest in the project Ami was working on. Ami had been only too happy to welcome the other seekers of knowledge to her project. They occasionally got in the way, but this was drastically outweighed by the technical assistance, new ideas, and much needed heart energy they provided while creating prototype after prototype. They were quickly forming something of an unofficial research and development group.

"Hello, Minako-san. Is it that time already?" Spinel's voice could be heard asking from across the room, interrupting Ami's concentration. In the unofficial hierarchy of their group, the squat and somewhat pudgy woman had become something of an unofficial second-in-command under Ami.

"Yeah, but knowing Ami-chan she'll probably need 'just one more minute' to finish up. How about you? Did you ever manage to get those missing jula berries figured out?" Minako asked. Apparently there was some ongoing disagreement between Spinel and her neighbors, whom she strongly suspected were pilfering the hard, spicy berries from her garden.

"No. My neighbors still won't admit to anything," Spinel groused.

While Minako and Spinel continued with one of the easy conversations Minako always seemed to be able to inspire in other people, Ranma took the more direct approach. She walked up to Ami, Setsuna in hand, and asked, "Hey, Ami-chan. Let me guess. 'One more minute?'"

"Yes, yes. Sorry," Ami said, rapidly pushing buttons on the proto-computer in front of her to see what, if any, effect each of them had.

The response she got from her statement was a high pitched cough, which couldn't have come from Ranma mouth. Then the loud cry of Setsuna started in earnest. Ami ruefully wondered about the child's timing. If she had started five minutes earlier, when Ranma and Minako had still been in some hallway, it would have been so much more convenient for her.

"Take your time. It looks like Setsuna-chan's hungry again. Like mother, like daughter," Ranma said lightly, taking her cue. She then moved to a corner of the room, taking with her the bag of baby supplies she always carried around.

Ami tried to ignore Ranma as she nursed Setsuna, giving her the personal space that Ami would have wanted in Ranma's place. She instead focused her attention on packing up. Meanwhile, Minako's and Spinel's conversation had moved on to the topic of how Spinel missed certain fruits which were no longer available since their migration to the moon.

The proto-computer winked out of existence in short order, forcibly putting a stop to the train of thought Ami had been exploring. She jotted down some quick notes as a reminder of where she had left off. She had barely finished when Setsuna gave out a gurgling then burp, signaling she had had her fill.

"We're all done here. Ready to go?" Ranma asked.

"All set," Ami said.

"See you tomorrow, boss," Spinel said to Ami.

"You can come too, you know," Ami teased Spinel. Of course there was no way the woman would.

"And end up like you with bruises on muscles I can't even name? No thanks. I'll just stick around in here," Spinel predictably answered.

"Why don't you study those physiology charts I put together? Then naming the muscles wouldn't be a problem," Ami suggested. Spinel rolled her eyes in response, giving Ami a quick laugh. Ami finished by saying, "See you tomorrow."

Ranma easily held Setsuna in one of her arms as she led Minako and Ami down the long familiar path to the guard house where they had their daily practice.

"So today is the big day, right?" Ami asked as they walked. "I can't believe Setsuna-chan is already a year old."

"More like only a year. She's already grown so much. It's like she's two or three already, isn't that right?" Ranma said, the last in a light voice while wriggling a finger in front of Setsuna's face, eliciting a gurgle.

"Are you still coming to the birthday party?" Minako asked.

"Of course. You?" Ami asked back.

"Of course," Minako answered back, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Even so, the timing of everything's terrible," Ami admitted. Some might have liked having a birthday coincide with the official founding of their country. It could be fun in many ways. However, also it meant that Setsuna's first birthday party would be severely hampered by the party Serenity was having in celebration of the one-year anniversary of the migration's conclusion.

"I know. All of these things to do before the ball. I don't know how we'll get it all done in time," Minako said.

"We could always just skip the preparation," Ranma suggested hopefully.

"The ball too, maybe," Ami suggested half-jokingly. Only half-jokingly; she felt so close to a major breakthrough with the computer.

"Don't you start too," Minako chastised Ami. She continued with enough enthusiasm for all three of them combined. "You've been far too tense lately. When's the last time you got to kick your feet up and have some major fun? You and Miss Mopy here both need to seriously unwind. Some music and dancing is just what Doctor Minako ordered."

"If you are talking about relaxing, I'd rather just have a good fight," Ranma said, cracking her knuckles.

"You don't really mean that. We got loads of stuff planned for you. Getting your hair and nails done, getting your dress, the massage... There's so much to do. Trust me, it'll be a blast," Minako said, undeterred by either Ranma's recalcitrance or the one-year-old Setsuna she carried along with her.

"Not as much as it will be for you. It's not like we're half as popular as you are, Minako-chan. I'll probably just get stuck sitting in the corner the whole time," Ami said.

"It's only because you aren't applying yourself. I mean, did you even try to find a date for the dance?" Minako asked.

"I'm not like you. I couldn't do that," Ami said. Besides shyness, which was definitely a factor, Ami really didn't want to get involved with any serious relationships while on the moon. It would just be one more complication for when they eventually found a way to return home; and they were going to return home, even if Ami had to figure out a way to break the barriers of the spacetime continuum herself.

"It's nothing serious. It's just a little innocent fun," Minako said. "You too, Ranma-san. I'm sure..."

"Don't you dare even suggest that," Ranma said, cutting her off. Despite the quiet with which she spoke, her voice was filled with malice, and the promise of revising Minako's martial arts training schedule yet again.

"It looks like you're the only one with a date tonight," Ami said.

"Not even that. Topaz-kun's hurt and he's skipping the ball," Minako said, for the first time the edge of her enthusiasm slightly dulling.

"Oh no. What happened?" Ami asked, concerned.

"He was trying to break up a fight, and somebody clubbed him from behind. We were close to the palace and Serenity managed to heal him just fine, but there's no way he's coming given the circumstances. I guess I'm on my own tonight too. Maybe I'll find somebody to dance with once I get there," Minako said, eagerness back in her voice.

"I'm sure you will. Everybody talks about you, the 'most eligible bachelorette' in the palace," Ami said. Ami had been approached by numerous young men seeking information on her blonde friend. She had given what limited advice she could, but clearly none of them had succeeded in advancing a serious relationship thus far.

"They say the same about you too," Minako said.

"What?" Ami exclaimed, embarrassed. She could feel a blush creeping into her cheeks. "I haven't heard anything like that."

"Trust me, if you had given any sign of being interested, I'm sure you'd have them falling over themselves to be the partner of the unapproachable scientist beauty," Minako assured her.

"No way," Ami said. She could feel her blush increase in intensity and wondered if her cheeks weren't actually glowing.

Minako drifted back a bit and let Ranma pull ahead, putting Minako within whispering distance to Ami. In a low voice, enough to provide a semblance of privacy despite the open corridor, she asked, "By the way, I was talking to Ranma-san this morning. Did you know that we don't have to do this martial arts practice anymore?"

Ami whispered back in a low voice, to match Minako's, "What do you mean?"

"It's just we don't need to do this daily practice thing anymore. Ranma-san told me that she had given up on her suicide weirdness, what with Setsuna-chan around to take care of," Minako explained. Ranma continued walking ahead of them, ignoring their whispered conversation and slower walking pace.

Ami had noticed a marked difference in Ranma over the past year, once Setsuna had entered her life and Ranma had stopped using the Soul of Ice all the time. While she hadn't outright had a conversation with Ranma, Ami had strongly suspected that the danger of suicide had passed some time ago. She said, "I see. To tell you the truth I had guessed that already."

"You did?" Minako asked quickly, her voice creeping a bit louder. "Then why do you keep coming to these sessions?"

Ami stopped walking and put some serious thought into that question. Why was she still coming? She answered Minako, "Well, I never was one of the strongest fighters on the team."

"Don't say that. You contributed with your brains," Minako interrupted Ami.

"That's nice of you to say, but even so I was never really much of a front-line fighter. I thought maybe if I practiced with Ranma-san some more I could learn to hold my own. These are valuable skills to have, too. I don't like the idea of being helpless without being able to transform. It's only that much more important now, seeing how we haven't been able to transform ever since we ended up back in the... I mean ever since coming to this world," Ami quickly corrected herself. As much as she liked Minako, she wasn't prepared to risk the further chance of paradox by letting her speculations be known. "Besides, it's one of the few chances I get see both you and Ranma-san, and I don't want to lose that."

"I see," Minako said, thoughtfully.

"Are you going to keep coming now that you know?" Ami asked, worried what the answer might be. Ami enjoyed Minako's company, as well as the extra target Minako provided to their teacher during practice, but now that the threat of suicide had passed, Minako might not see things the same way. She knew her friend had never really enjoyed being forced to wake up bruised all the time.

"I guess so," Minako said after only a moment's pause. "I'm still here after all, aren't I?"

Ami's face relaxed in relief as the two hustled to catch up to Ranma. They only managed to catch up to her just outside of the guard house, and the makeshift dojo therein.

Thoughts of the ball and its countless preparations, the upcoming birthday party for Setsuna, the mountain of questions still left unsolved, and everything else quickly faded from Ami's mind as they approached. Unlike when she had first started training, those thoughts weren't forced away by a vague feeling of fear in her stomach either. Instead they had been pushed aside by a quiet contemplation of what she had recently accomplished, what new things she had to look forward to, and a careful watchfulness of Ranma.

Another benefit of Ranma's training was that it provided a break from the lab and a place to regroup and unconsciously reconsider things. She'd lost count of the number of times she'd been stuck on a problem for hours, only to have the solution come unbidden to her mind halfway through a sparring session. In a strange way, the intense physical exertion of training had become one of the ways she relaxed in her free time.

It didn't hurt that there were no wolves on the moon either.

As always, most of the guards had made themselves scarce before the trio plus Setsuna had arrived. While Minako might have been popular amongst them, superseding that was the fact that almost everybody in the castle still avoided Ranma. Even if she was no longer outright spooky on her own, her reputation remained, aided in no small part by her lack of socialization with anybody besides Minako, Ami, and Serenity.

Still, their ranks had expanded very slightly. They had been joined about a month ago by an enterprising young man named Aventurine. He had been a new recruit to the guards who, upon learning of the class, had jumped at the opportunity to learn some useful combat techniques.

Without warning, and without even bothering to put Setsuna down, Ranma lashed out at Minako with a foot just after they had crossed the threshold of the room. While Minako was usually the first recipient of Ranma's training of the day, Ranma varied things enough that it was never certain who she would start with. Or even when. Three months ago, Ami had been caught flat-footed about 10 meters from the building, and as punishment had gotten a severe bruise on her tailbone which made it painful for her to sit for the next few days. In retrospect she had deserved it. She definitely had let her attention wander and had gotten her just desserts for that, much to the snickering of Spinel and everybody else around her.

Ranma and Minako fell into their regular pattern of Minako desperately trying to avoid the onslaught as Ranma flowed all around her. Throughout, Ranma continued to hold Setsuna safe, carrying the child in her arms lovingly as she pummeled Minako with her feet. It was especially hair-raising for Ami to watch whenever Ranma would leap upside down while carrying her child.

"For crying out loud, can't she at least put the baby down? It's embarrassing enough that she can wipe the floor with all of us, does she really need to rub it in?" Aventurine whined out loud.

"You think that's bad? You weren't around last year when she was kicking our asses while she was nine months pregnant. Damn, if only I could move like that on my best day. At least this way we know she can't use her hands. I don't know about you but I'll take any advantage I can get," Peridot chastised her fellow guard.

Ami silently agreed with Peridot's assessment. Ranma carrying Setsuna around was a definite handicap. It limited Ranma's mobility slightly, and certainly tied up her limbs. Moreover, seeing how Ami and the others were simply not good enough to be able to reliably abort an attack which was going wrong, Ranma couldn't just use her child as a makeshift shield to cover her openings. Ranma's continuing to carry Setsuna while fighting was definitely a handicap to be taken advantage of; Ami just needed to figure out the best way to do so.

Ranma gave a questioning sidelong glance towards Peridot, then casually tossed Setsuna into the air, eliciting a laugh of joy from the baby. She then threw a quick jab at Minako's face. Minako barely managed to dodge out of the way of the unexpected attack, but it left her in a position such that she wasn't able to react in time to avoid being punched in the gut. Ranma followed this up with a roundhouse kick which knocked Minako to the ground. She then casually held out her hands. Setsuna fell neatly into her waiting arms.

Peridot cleared her throat, and corrected, "Can't use her hands very well."

The demonstration that Ranma still had limited use of her hands forced Ami to recalculate her analysis and battle plans. If Ranma tried to use that trick against her, Ami could use the direction and the height of the toss to determine where Ranma would need to be and by when, which was valuable tactical knowledge when facing somebody as unpredictable as Ranma. A main question was if Ami would be able to react to all of that information quickly enough to use it.

"Next," Ranma announce as Minako crawled back to the side of the room to recover.

Ami stood up, volunteering herself. None of the others seemed inclined to stop her, although everybody kept a close eye on Ranma in case this was another trick to catch somebody off guard. She figured she would have to go eventually, and the earlier she got her punishment out of the way the more time she would have to recover before partner and group practice began.

She wasn't quite sure why training was scheduled this way. Even after all this time, Ami still couldn't understand Ranma's unconventional, and continually evolving, training style. Most martial arts schools spent most of the time practicing forms and drilling moves, especially at the start of a class. This had the dual advantage of helping the students learn while they were still alert and fresh, and not exhausting them for the rest of the class. Instead of this more traditional format, it seemed that Ranma would focus on finding and exploiting any and all holes in their defense early in the class and work them to exhaustion before moving on to lighter sparring exercises. Very little time was spent on forms and drills. She assumed that Ranma knew what she was doing and had a reason for doing things this way.

Ami's turn with Ranma was much shorter than Minako's. Overall she was disappointed with how poorly she had fared. It was to be expected that she had not matched Minako's performance, but worse than that, she had done much less well than she had done the day before. As she always did during her crawl of painful defeat back to the side of the room, she reviewed the fight she had just been through relative to her original plans and strategies, trying to see what she had failed to take into account or failed to execute properly. Her conclusion was that that she had been too preoccupied watching for Ranma's new baby tossing trick, which made her too careless in general when it never happened. She was sure she would make countless other mistakes in the future, but this was one she wouldn't make again.

"Next," Ranma said challengingly, almost maliciously. The guards looked at each other, each hesitating. Meanwhile, Ami found a spot next to Minako and managed to bring herself to a sitting position beside her friend before collapsing in a slump.

"I think that woman just enjoys torturing us," Minako said.

"I think Ranma-san's a bit upset at you from earlier. That trick with Setsuna-chan is a new one, and that kick looked painful," Ami said.

"No matter. As they say, what goes around can hurt. I will have my revenge," Minako waxed poetic. "I have so many things planned for her. For you too."

Ami enjoyed being pampered as much as any girl did, even if she wouldn't necessarily admit it out loud, but Minako's sinister smile was enough to give anybody pause to reconsider.

Rather than face that disconcerting grin, Ami turned back to the floor. There she saw Ranma quickly and systematically take apart Aventurine's defense. He was on the floor in a matter of seconds, even faster than Ami had lost in her fight. He might have been the new young hotshot of the guards, but there were gaping holes in his defense which even Ami could see. Aventurine practically telegraphed the attacks he attempted, which was a very dangerous thing to do against a martial artist of Ranma's caliber, who could instantaneously take advantage once you were committed.

Contemplation of this brought a shocking realization to Ami. She could in fact see the holes in Aventurine's defenses. She could see his attacks before he actually engaged in them. She had unconsciously thought about it before but never really realized it until now. Since when could she do that?

"Next," Ranma said once Aventurine was on the ground and refused to stand again.

Ami could think of no reason why Ranma would be upset at Aventurine, yet despite that she had quickly and painfully taken him down as well. Maybe she wasn't actually upset at Minako's comment earlier after all. Ami speculated out loud, "I take it back. I think Ranma-san just might be in a hurry today. She must really be worried about not having enough time for Setsuna-chan's birthday party."

"Speaking of which, Setsuna-chan seems to be having fun," Minako said, the joyous cries of the child being audible over the shuffling of feet and occasional sound of a foot slapping against Ranma's current opponent.

"She does, doesn't she?" Ami agreed.

Minako squinted her eyes, then turned to ask Ami, "Is it my imagination, or is she making a fist and throwing a punch there?"

Ami peered more closely as well. "I think she is. And there. I swear that was a kick. Like mother like daughter, I guess," Ami said.

"Great. That's just what we need," Minako said sarcastically.

* * *

Training had been noticeably shorter than usual, lending credence to Ami's hypothesis that Ranma was just in a hurry. Not only had Ranma taken down all of her students in what must have been record time, even the general practice and paired-off sparring had been relatively short.

After training was over, Minako had taken the lead, both physically and metaphorically. Ami was content to let Minako take charge of the upcoming social activities, and Ranma didn't seem to be protesting too much or trying to sneak away. Despite this, every so often Minako would turn around, as if she was afraid that if she didn't keep a careful eye on her charges they would both bolt at the first opportunity, Ranma to either train or to play around with Setsuna, and Ami to continue with her research on the Mercury Computer.

They were on their way to a final fitting with the dressmaker that Minako had arranged to create the attire the three of them would wear for the evening. Given the lack of elastic, zippers, and other clothing technologies Ami had previously taken for granted, having a quality fit was more important than ever.

Ami wasn't quite sure how Minako had found the dressmaker, but she figured that the socialite somehow knew somebody who knew somebody. Regardless of how Minako had found Aquamarine, though, the dressmaker had already impressed Ami. During their initial consultation, the woman had suggested a dark blue dress with light blue accents for Ami, an orange dress with blue accents for Minako, and a vivid blue dress with yellow accents for Ranma. Ami wasn't sure if it was just a coincidence, but the fact that she had suggested the same color palette of their respective Sailor Senshi uniforms had struck her.

"It's so strange around here. It's so much easier just to go to the store and buy something my size," Minako casually remarked as they walked.

"It's not that unusual. Seeing how this isn't an industrial society, although that term isn't really applicable as such, it makes sense that this is how they make clothing. It's just like back home, up until maybe 100 years ago or so," Ami explained.

"Is it? I thought people always bought clothes from stores," Minako said.

"Oh, no. Not at all. Up until the advent of mass production, people would buy clothes which were handmade, by tailors or seamstresses or what have you. It was only with the industrial revolution that it became more economical to create large amounts of pre-created clothing in standard sizes that people would select at the point of sale. However, given the nature of society here, I'm not sure that is the best comparison to make," Ami said.

"Even if that's true, can't they do something else with magic, like summoning clothes or something? You know, like our transformations and the Sailor Senshi uniforms," Minako said.

"I guess not enough people have access to enough heart energy to do that, or it's otherwise not worth the effort," Ami remarked. She didn't really feel like going into an explanation of the difficulty of the process involved with creating a dress which wouldn't disappear within couple of minutes, especially as she only barely understood it herself.

"Heart energy? Oh, you mean magic, right?" Minako asked.

"If you want to call it that," Ami answered, slightly annoyed.

Throughout the conversation Ranma stayed silent, instead choosing to spend her time fussing with Setsuna, who gurgled happily at Ranma's attentions.

When they arrived at Aquamarine's door, both Minako's selection of and Ami's faith in the woman were rewarded. Laid out on the table were three elegant gowns with a classical ornate design. Ami's dress started around the neck and gathered together at the waist before flaring out at the hips and ending somewhere near her shins. The bodice of the dress was translucent gossamer, giving the impression of being strapless without actually being so. The long sleeves had light, shiny highlights woven into them, matching the contrasts found in the rest of the design. It was a bit flashier than she might have chosen herself, but overall, Ami was enamored with the design.

It took her much longer to figure out how to don the dress than it could have. After fighting with it for several minutes, Ami broke down and asked Aquamarine how to actually put the thing on. After that it took some limber maneuvering, but Ami was finally able to get the dress around herself. Once it was in place, to her relief she found it a rather comfortable and flattering fit. No further alterations were necessary. With that confirmed, she struggled out of the dress again and returned it to Aquamarine. She would need to come back just before the ball to put it back on. Between hairstyling, manicures, and all the other preparation, wearing the dresses throughout the day would just get in the way and subject them to unnecessary risk.

After the visit to the dressmaker, Minako declared that the next stop would be to a beauty parlor to have a full makeover for the evening. The secondary purpose for visiting the dressmakers, and the reason Minako had gone there first, was to grab a swatch of cloth from each of the dresses to give to the stylist to match for the nail polish.

"Come on, Ranma-san, you'd look so beautiful with your hair down, wouldn't she, Agate-chan?" Minako insisted once at the parlor.

"Most certainly," the beauty stylist agreed. "You could put your hair in a nice sweep to the side, or maybe we should put it up and emphasize your neck lines."

"I like my hair how it is. How am I supposed to fight if my hair is flying all over the place?" Ranma protested, clutching at her ponytail possessively.

"Come on, Ranma-san. You're not going to the ball to fight, you're going to have fun," Minako insisted.

"It's not like I get to choose where and when I fight," Ranma countered.

"You'll be in a dress anyway, and that seems like a much bigger handicap than anything we could do with your hair," Ami said, joining in. She was enjoying the all too rare plight of her sometimes sadistic teacher.

Ranma just grumbled a bit at that, clearly not happy with that argument.

"You'll be beautiful, I promise. You'll barely recognize yourself," Agate insisted.

"I don't want to be beautiful," Ranma protested loudly.

"What about as an example for Setsuna-chan? You don't want her to grow up all spartan and plain, do you?" Minako asked, gesturing towards the child sitting on a chair just a short distance away.

"She can grow up like a martial artist. Duty and honor and ability," Ranma answered.

"What if she doesn't want that kind of lifestyle? She should have at least some femininity in her role model, and you are her mother. What kind of person do you want her to grow up to be? Besides, it's only one day," Minako disagreed.

Ranma shook her head, thinking about this for much longer than Ami would have expected. Surprisingly, eventually she almost growled out, "Okay. But just for today." Then, under her breath, Ranma added, "Stupid panda."

The mentioning of a panda made little sense to Ami, but that was swept away by the almost manic grin which crossed Minako's face at Ranma's capitulation. If Ami hadn't been so sore from training earlier she might have even felt sorry for her.

Minako almost squealed out, "Just you wait. The boys will want to eat you all up."

Although the look on her face spoke volumes, Ranma held her tongue. She then turned to wave towards Setsuna, a smile coming back to her face despite her circumstances. Meanwhile, Agate took advantage of Ranma's acquiescence and, with a speed born of a lifetime of practice, quickly undid Ranma's ponytail.

Ami was surprised exactly how much hair Ranma's ponytail hid. While not as long as Minako's hair, Ranma still had a good length to play with, definitely far more than Ami herself did. She had to suppress a brief feeling of envy towards the martial artist. Ami's short hair was very convenient for daily life, both for ease of maintenance as well as for her constant leaning down to examine or read various things, but it was too short to style in anything besides the pageboy cut she normally wore it in. Even so, she could still enjoy the manicure and pedicure Minako had planned for them, and the lack of decisions made it that much easier to sit back and just enjoy the experience of watching Ranma squirm for once.

"So, what style do you want? Maybe a nice up-sweep? Maybe in a nice mature bun?" Agate asked, moving Ranma's hair around in a mini-demonstration as she spoke. "Or maybe we should just put it down. Oh, that's nice. How about we do an asymmetric? That's quite the stylish thing this season, and it will let us show off your lovely neck and shoulder lines."

"But I can't see anything out of my left eye," Ranma protested as Agate held the hair in the latest position in demonstration.

"Sure you can," Ami countered, jokingly. "You just see hair, that's all."

Ranma growled again in protest, then took her hair and cleared it out of her vision. She said, "Whatever. I don't know nothing about this stuff. Just make it so it won't get in the way if a fight breaks out."

"Pay no attention to her. I think a nice simple styling with it loose would be perfect," Minako interrupted. She joined in the fun with Agate and moved Ranma's hair around to demonstrate what she was thinking of.

"Oh. That does look adorable," Agate agreed.

Ami could hear yet another not-quite-suppressed growl emerging from Ranma, but she otherwise gave no reaction.

Setsuna started crying at this point, giving Ranma the perfect excuse to escape the fussing around her.

"Oops, I think Setsuna needs to be changed," Ranma said, quickly standing up and escaping the two women who had been hovering around her. It may have only been for a few minutes, but it was obvious Ranma was grateful for the reprieve.

"Impeccable timing as always," Ami muttered to herself.

* * *

"It's a good thing that Topaz-kun couldn't make it. He'd probably have collapsed by now," Ami commented as Minako finished waltzing with her latest partner.

"Doesn't she ever need to rest?" Spinel asked. She was taking a break at the table Ami was sitting at, joined by her taller and chubbier husband, Lopezite.

"Apparently not. That's, what, her twelfth partner so far?" Ami asked.

Decked out in her orange ball gown, Minako flitted between every man who caught her eye, regardless of whether or not he already had a date. She hadn't stopped once since the party had begun, bouncing from man to man. However, none of Minako's dance partners had stayed with her for more than a couple of dances.

"That sounds about right, but I haven't been keeping count. Shoot. She'd better be careful or she's really going to annoy somebody by stealing her date," Lopezite commented.

The oldest and most established couples and the most casual of casual dates humored Minako whenever she asked, with the woman sitting out for a number while the man danced with the vivacious blonde. In contrast, all the not-quite-casual-but-not-several-years-married couples had harshly driven her off, with the women giving her dirty glares as she walked away.

"If only Minako-chan showed such energy in other matters. She'd probably be the best at whatever she put her mind to," Ami said.

"What do you mean? I've heard how the others talk about her. She always giving it her all," Spinel said.

"I suppose you're right. I guess I'm thinking about before, back in our old world," Ami acceded. Minako had changed a fair bit since coming here. If only Usagi and the others could see her now.

"Do you miss it?" Lopezite asked, picking up on the touch of remorse in Ami's voice. While not exactly common knowledge, the fact that Ami, Minako, and Ranma were travelers who had somehow ended up stuck here was still fairly widely known around the palace, even if details about where they had come from was not.

"Yes, I do miss it. It was really bad at first, but it got better after a few weeks. The thing that really gets me is that nobody back home knows what's happened to us. They must be going crazy with worry," Ami answered.

She didn't want to acknowledge it, but Ami knew there was a very real possibility that her parents and the Sailor Senshi would never know what happened to her and her three, now two, companions. The only question was if her mother or Usagi would take it harder.

"Did you have anybody special back home?" Lopezite asked.

"Not really. There was this one boy, but it was never too serious. The biggest thing is my parents. I'm an only child, and they don't even know where I went. As far as they know, I just left one day and disappeared. Maybe one of my friends will tell them what happened," Ami said.

It would be nice to think that Usagi would inform her family what had happened. However, explaining the situation, either as Usagi or as Sailor Moon, would carry such a raft of problems that it would probably be impossible. No. Much more likely Ami would have just disappeared; another missing child statistic, to the lifelong devastation of her parents. Her face took on a dark and gloomy look at this thought.

"Why the sour face, Ami-chan? You look almost as miserable as Ranma-san does," Minako asked. Apparently the semi-constant rebuffs by angry girls had finally convinced Minako to take a break from the dance floor.

At Minako's prompting Ami glanced over at the side of the room to where Ranma was playing with Setsuna. Ami personally wouldn't have described Ranma as looking miserable; Ranma never looked miserable any time Setsuna was in sight. However it was quite clear that Ranma had no interest in being at the party and wanted nothing to do with it. Ami hoped that she didn't look that far out of place. Despite her reputation as an introverted bookworm, Ami actually did enjoy the occasional event, especially whenever Usagi managed to drag her to one. It was just the recent subject which had put her out of sorts.

"It's nothing, we were just..." Ami started saying, but stopped as she felt her voice threatening to crack. She gathered herself and tried again, "We were just talking about home."

Minako's face drooped for a brief moment, but and then took on a brighter appearance as she said, "Why are you talking about there? There's a lot more cute boys around here, and they're so much more mature too. You know what they say, seize the dance." Despite her efforts, it was clear that Minako was doing her best to hide her feelings about the matter.

"You mean 'seize the day,'" Ami said.

"That too," Minako agreed.

"So you don't have anybody special waiting for you back home?" Spinel asked.

"Well there's Usagi-chan and everybody else, but that's just like Ami-chan here. Hmm... I guess Artemis might count as somebody special," Minako said.

"Is Artemis your mother? Or maybe your girlfriend?" Lopezite asked. Ami started laughing as Minako sputtered and took on a shocked and slightly queasy look at that idea.

Ami finally managed to force out between laughs, "No, nothing like that. First, despite the name, Artemis is a boy, and second, he's a companion of Minako-chan, not dating or anything." She didn't see any harm of mentioning Artemis's being a cat too, but also didn't want to take too many chances just in case.

"A companion... but not a boyfriend?" Lopezite asked slowly.

"Something like that," Minako answered, oblivious to Lopezite's and Spinel's confusion.

"Actually, speaking of which, do you think Artemis will be alright? I hope he won't get into too much trouble without you to take care of him," Ami said.

"Artemis? Sure. That cat can survive anything," Minako said dismissively. Spinel and Lopezite raised their eyebrows at that statement while Ami mentally rolled her eyes at the revelation. "If anything, he's probably taken advantage of the chance to move in with Luna. I know he's had a crush on her for forever."

"I almost feel bad for Usagi-chan. Having two people yelling at her to wake up and to do her homework," Ami remarked.

"You're telling me. Artemis on his own was bad enough, I can't imagine having to deal with two of them," Minako said.

Spinel and Lopezite remained quiet and looked confused. Apparently both had lost track of the conversation, neither following the names and references the two girls had thrown so casually between them.

In the background, the orchestra struck up another song. It was a perky song, more conducive to a light quickstep than the romantic song that had just completed.

"Oops, it sounds like the next song's up. Like they say, music waits for no one. You three should come out too. You don't want to be like Ranma-san over there," Minako said, gesturing to where Ranma was sitting near the wall, far away from the action on the floor. She was still playing with her daughter, and it was still clear that she would rather be pretty much anywhere else than in the ballroom.

Ami thought about it, and came to a conclusion. Minako was right. There was no reason to just sit around all evening on such a big day, especially when everybody else was having so much fun. Furthermore, there was no reason for Ranma to be left out either. She had been far too grumpy lately, and a dance might be just the thing to cheer her up.

Her mind made up, Ami declared, "I'm going to go over there and see if I can get her to loosen up a little."

"If you can do that, then you're more of a genius than I thought. Good luck, boss," Spinel said.

"Suit yourself," Minako agreed. The movement of a strikingly handsome young man passing by then caught Minako's eye. She called out, "Fancy seeing you here. Do you have a partner?"

Ami let Minako hurry after the young gentleman while she got to her feet and approached the glowering Ranma.

Ranma was bouncing Setsuna on her lap as Ami approached. She briefly looked up and saw Ami before turning her attention back to her daughter. They remained in that position, Ami watching Ranma, who in turn was paying attention to Setsuna.

After waiting for a while, Ami finally broke the silence by saying, "You could at least try to have some fun."

Ranma didn't even bother looking up as she responded, "I don't exactly see you on the dance floor."

"Maybe not, but I'm having fun in my own way," Ami answered. "At least I'm socializing with people."

"Me too," Ranma said, shrugging towards Setsuna.

"That's not the same," Ami said while shaking her head. As Ranma wasn't looking in her direction, Ami doubted she noticed.

"I don't really care. It's not like I even wanted to be here in the first place. Serenity-sama just said to be here. She didn't say I had to actually do anything," Ranma said. She then wiped around Setsuna's mouth with a napkin, cleaning up a bit of drool.

"I can't begin to imagine what you've been through, but can't you just relax and have some fun, even if just for a bit?" Ami asked.

Ranma turned up to face Ami, for the first time since the initial glance she had given her. She said, "Sure. Do you have any martial arts or psionic techniques that I can learn? Or maybe there is a tournament to compete in nearby?"

"You know what I mean," Ami said in exasperation.

"And you know what I mean," Ranma countered.

Setsuna kept giggling happily to herself, despite the fact that her mother was no longer bouncing her on her knee.

"Come on, let's dance. You're going to have fun whether you like it or not," Ami finally declared. She reached down and grabbed Ranma's arm.

"Hey. What about Setsuna-chan? I can't just leave here on her own you know," Ranma protested.

Ami took hope in this declaration. Ranma could have easily avoided Ami's grab, or escaped the light hold with trivial ease. She did neither, suggesting that at least some part of Ranma wanted to be more social than she had been.

"Just take her with you. You teach martial arts carrying Setsuna-chan around all the time," Ami countered.

"That's different. That's training. I'm not going to do anything stupid like what I went through, but I'm going to be teaching her some martial arts when she gets older, and some early exposure will help. Get her used to flying in the air and the proper forms and everything. Dancing's different. I never heard of anybody dancing while carrying around a baby or nothing," Ranma said.

Ami shuddered a bit at Ranma's explanation. If throwing a newborn baby around and putting her in danger of being punched, kicked, or dropped didn't count as doing something stupid, she shuddered to think what Genma might have put Ranma through in the name of training.

"If Setsuna-chan is the only reason you aren't on the dance floor, then I can watch her for a bit," Spinel's voice from behind Ami said. Behind her stood Lopezite as well.

"I'm not so sure about that," Ranma said hesitantly. Spinel was already by her side, though, overtly threatening to and then subsequently poking Setsuna in the forehead with a finger. This caused the young girl to break out in a spontaneous burst of giggles.

"I'm sure it'll be fine. We brought up our two sons, after all. See? She's adorable," Spinel said, still playing around with the baby. Setsuna was trying to bat at Spinel's finger with what could have maybe passed for a clenched fist.

In the background, the orchestra's light song drew to a close. There would be another short pause to give the orchestra a quick breather. People were reorganizing in the short break, some switching partners, some getting off the dance floor, and some returning to it.

"Come on. We... are going... to dance," Ami declared, overly enunciating each phrase in emphasis. As she spoke, with coordinated timing, Spinel deftly liberated Setsuna from Ranma's hands as Ami pulled Ranma to her feet.

Then, as Spinel took a seat next to all of the equipment Ranma had laid out for baby care, Ami led Ranma to the dance floor. As she walked she took a quick look around trying to find Minako, but couldn't see her anywhere.

Ami took to the dance floor with only a little trepidation. She was far from the most social or agile person she knew; Usagi and Minako beat her out on the former, and Rei and Makoto beat her out on the latter. Even so, she still knew the basics of dancing. Not very much more than the basics, but at least she wouldn't embarrass herself, unless Ranma started doing some complicated maneuvers. She had learned it as part of rounding out her general education when she was younger.

The strains of the next song started. It sounded like a slow song. In fact she recognized it as "Terran Rhapsody" with the vocal melody orchestrated out. The fact that she had heard the song before would make things so much easier.

Ami held still, waiting for Ranma to take the lead. Ranma was the male partner after all, even if her body belayed that fact at the moment. Only, Ranma wasn't taking the lead. She just stared at Ami with an impassive, bored, look on her face.

It wasn't until this point that Ami really started to notice all of the attention that she and Ranma had been getting, made only more pointed by their lack of movement. It felt like the entire room was staring at them. Without anything to distract, she was acutely aware of each and every pair of eyes on her.

"Haven't you ever danced before?" Ami asked, suddenly concerned.

"Nope. Never have," Ranma answered as if it were an obvious fact Ami should have already known.

Ami paled. She could practically feel the eyes burning into her as everybody stared.

Teaching Ranma to lead would be difficult at best and would certainly take time. That was without all of the uncomfortable attention she was getting too. Ranma might not care about standing out, but Ami certainly did.

Coming to a conclusion, Ami decided to take matters into her own hand. If Ranma wasn't going to lead, then she would. It would be far easier to teach Ranma to follow than to teach her the proper way to lead a partner.

She put her right arm firmly below Ranma's shoulder blade and placed Ranma's left arm just over it. She then took Ranma's right hand with her own left and held them out. She straightened her back, took the proper position, and the said to Ranma, "Okay, just follow my steps, my left foot to your right foot, and my right foot to your left foot. Try to keep this distance from me. We'll take it slowly at first."

Just before taking off with her left foot on a downbeat, Ami did what her teachers had done when they taught her and telegraphed her movement with as much emphasis as she could. Ranma seemed to sense what was about to happened and managed to move her right foot in line with her. It wasn't quite in sync and it wasn't the most graceful step ever, but they took the first step without tripping, which was better than how she had learned.

Heedless of any possible risk, Ami continued with her right foot, keeping her right hand and arm straight and literally pushing in the direction she was trying to lead Ranma.

Not even a minute into the dance, Ami was rapidly finding herself envious of Ranma. She picked up the unfamiliar moves with a quick ease and grace. She supposed it was all of her background in martial arts. Her sense of rhythm was horribly off, but that was more Ami's job as lead anyway. More importantly, especially for a first-time dancer, Ranma moved across the floor with a smooth confidence that had taken Ami hours of practice to achieve.

Just then something else broke into Ami's consciousness, knocking away her envy in sheer surprise. Somebody had started singing to the lyrics to "Terran Rhapsody." The singer was passable, even if not the best voice Ami had ever heard. It was true that she was expecting a better singer given the major event going on, but that wasn't what caught her attention. Rather it was the voice itself. It sounded very familiar. Slightly turning so she could take a look at the orchestra over Ranma's left shoulder, Ami confirmed what she thought she had heard. Minako was singing.

"She's not a very good singer," Ranma casually said.

"That's not very fair. She's pretty good," Ami defended her friend automatically.

"Not really," Ranma disagreed.

Rather than continuing to argue the subjective point, Ami instead focused on leading the pair around in the gentle circles of a waltz. The pair hadn't had a misstep yet. Granted they were only performing a very basic step, Ami both being hesitant with her limited knowledge as well as having no desire to overwhelm her neophyte, but naturally graceful, dance partner. Even so, it seemed that they had gathered quite the crowd watching. She wasn't sure whether it was because of the new and unfamiliar waltz pattern she was leading them through or if it was the mere fact that it was Ranma and Ami who were dancing. Their audience included Minako, who gave a quick gesture of greeting and acknowledgment to Ami when they briefly made eye contact.

"This dancing thing is kind of stupid, if you ask me," Ranma said, breaking Ami's thought process.

"What do you mean?" Ami asked.

"It seems pointless. Maybe it's good practice for dodging backwards or something, but that's about it. You're all but shouting to me what you're about to do next. What's the point of that?" Ranma asked.

"It's not supposed to be a competition; it's supposed to be relaxing and fun. It's a partnership, not a duel," Ami explained.

"And that's supposed to be fun? It's boring, just walking around in circles," Ranma disagreed.

Ami raised her eyebrows towards Ranma at the implied challenge. At the next measure, rather than continuing on a basic step, she signaled for a whisk, and then promptly followed through on it. Her left foot stepped forward and her right foot stepped to the right as normal. After this, she broke the pattern she had been following thus far, crossing her left foot behind her right, and then stepping to the left with her right foot.

Ranma took the first two steps as expected, but then Ami's momentum suddenly changed and she wasn't where Ranma had anticipated. Ami saw a flash of surprise on Ranma's face as she stumbled a bit and almost tripped on her high-heel shoes. She quickly recovered and hustled back to her right.

"Watch the feet," Ami said pointedly, prompting Ranma to look down. It took her another measure before she was able to get back on the beat, matching Ami's step.

"Is that more like what you were expecting?" Ami asked impishly.

"Is that all? I thought you were going to make this interesting or something," Ranma challenged back.

"Really?" Ami asked.

The next measure, Ami led Ranma into the same trick again, but this time Ranma caught the signal and was able to transition her footwork much better. It still wasn't quite the official step of a whisk, but she kept her footing and didn't drop a beat.

From there on out the rest of the song proceeded in a similar way. Ami would lead Ranma into the limited steps she could remember, trying to see if any of them would trip Ranma up. She did everything by the book with the proper timing and signaling, but otherwise gave no verbal warning or foreshadowing. Most turned out similar to the earlier whisk, Ranma barely catching the step first time and then after some time when Ami tried the same stunt again Ranma would do it much closer to properly. Occasionally Ranma would hit a trick perfectly the first time, and it took three times before Ranma figured out the trick behind a hesitation change.

By the end of the song, Ami could see that despite herself Ranma was starting to enjoy herself. Matching this was Ami as well. She was having a surprising amount of fun trying to trip Ranma up. Despite that, she was glad the song was over. She was rapidly reaching the end of her knowledge of waltz steps, and before the next dance would need to spend some time trying to dig up what she could recover from her rusty memories.

With the song over, Ami joined in with the rest of the audience, both on the dance floor as well as off of it, and gave some applause for Minako's performance. The clapping was more polite than anything. While Ami would never say it out loud, she did agree with Ranma's assessment of Minako's singing. It was good, but not stellar. She was equally sure that most of the people in the audience agreed with her and were clapping more as friends humoring her than as an enraptured audience applauding the exploits of a successful prima donna.

"So much for relaxing and not being a duel then," Ranma commented once the applause had died down enough to be heard.

"You said you thought it was boring and that we were just going around in circles," Ami countered. "I thought you might find it more interesting if we did something a bit more involved."

"We were just going around in circles," Ranma defended herself.

"It looks like Minako-chan's done singing," Ami commented, gesturing behind Ranma where she had a clear view of the blonde. Ranma turned around just in time to see Minako stepping away from the orchestra and approaching the dance floor.

"Maybe she's had her fill for the night," Ranma observed.

"I'd have thought she'd sing more. If she ever does become an idol she'll need to do more than a single song," Ami said. That was assuming that that was what Minako was doing, pursuing her dream of becoming an idol, despite the fact that the Moon Kingdom had no infrastructure for mass marketing or anything for an artist to support herself besides a basic patronage system.

"An idol? I guess she's lucky that we got stuck here then because she'd never make it in Japan with that voice," Ranma said confidently.

"You've been on the road for almost your whole life. What do you know about singing?" Ami defended her friend.

"I know lots about it. I was even in a professional group once," Ranma said.

That took Ami aback. The various portions of Ranma's life were odd, but they fit together and made sense in some sort of surrealistic way. In that implausible world, she didn't see how singing in a professional group fit in. She asked, "You were?"

"I was. 'Doco,'" Ranma said.

"Why are you asking me? That's what I want to know," Ami asked, confused.

"No, that was its name, 'Doco,'" Ranma clarified.

"You were in a professional singing group, and it was called 'Where?'" Ami asked incredulously.

"Don't look at me like that. It was Nabiki's idea. Apparently it's a pun on some group named 'Coco' or something. Nabiki thought we should call ourselves 'Doco.' I still think it was a stupid name," Ranma said, shaking her head. "There was me, Nabiki, Akane, Kasumi, and Shampoo. I'm still not sure how she got Shampoo involved."

"You're being serious, aren't you? You should sing for us some time," Ami said, both curious and excited to hear Ranma's singing voice.

"Oh, hey, it looks like Minako-chan is trying to find a partner again," Ranma said quickly. It was obvious she was trying to change the subject.

"She'd better hurry. It looks like the orchestra's about to start up again," Ami observed, letting Ranma off the hook for the moment.

Ami's observations turned out to be correct, as in the background the orchestra struck up another song. A light, quick song too, Ami was happy to note, even if she didn't happen to know this one. She was sure there was a lot more she could show Ranma with a quickstep than in a slower waltz or foxtrot or something. It was a touch slower than normal for a swing, but it was close enough that Ami was willing to give it a try. She might even be able to get Ranma up into the air with a nice throw, although coordinating that would be tricky.

As the next song started, Ranma threw a quick look to the side of the room to where Spinel and Lopezite were still playing with Setsuna, before hesitantly allowing Ami to pull on her arms. She put up some token resistance, but only token resistance. With a grin, Ami positioned her partner in preparation for the next dance and her next attempt to try and catch Ranma flatfooted.

As she kicked off with her left foot, Ami was surprised to realize exactly how much fun she was having.

* * *

Setsuna sat in the center of the room, surrounded by Ami, Minako, and, of course, Ranma.

The three of them had left the ball early to throw the birthday party for Setsuna. Serenity would be joining them later in the evening, but she had other ceremonial and social obligations from which she was unable to escape at the moment.

It was only a matter of bad timing that Setsuna's birthday happened to be on the same day as the official founding of the kingdom. If she had been born just one day earlier or one day later it would have made things so much easier. Between preparations for the ball, preparations for the party, and attending the ball, timing was tight. They hadn't even had a chance to change out of their formal wear, making for one of the fanciest birthday parties for a one-year-old that Ami had ever heard of. However, coincidence of timing was what it was, and nobody held it against the young infant. After all, it wasn't like anybody could choose when they were born.

Ami was actually a bit thankful for the excuse to cut the ball short. She had had a great deal of fun on the dance floor with Ranma, but it had taken its toll and she was glad that it was finally over. Ami was glad to be out of the limelight as well. The stares hadn't stopped throughout the night, the pair instead gaining a few admirers as the evening progressed.

In a way it was appropriate that the three of them were alone in their celebration of Setsuna's birthday. Ranma had wanted to hold the party in a Japanese tradition, and only the three of them were from Japan. Then again, Ami didn't know of any differences in birthday traditions between Japan and the Moon Kingdom, or indeed most countries' birthday celebrations.

Case in point, the cake that Ranma had somehow managed to acquire. Ami wasn't quite sure where or how she had arranged it, especially given her reputation around the palace, but there it was on the table in front of Setsuna. Then again, Ranma's reputation around the palace seemed to have been changing ever so slightly over the past year. Maybe Ranma got out and about more than Ami gave her credit for.

Another case in point, the singing of birthday songs. Ranma might have actually been telling the truth at having sung in a professional group at some point in the past. She really did have a beautiful voice. It didn't seem quite right for the simple banal birthday songs they sang, but she could easily imagine Ranma being on some CD somewhere with the right genre of music.

Beyond all of that, there was one other thing which was common in all the birthday celebrations across the world in every culture Ami knew of.

Presents.

It had been a bit awkward at first as Ami and Minako had both coincidentally settled on the same gift independently of each other, that being new baby clothing. They all had a good laugh at the duplicated presents, and it was very appropriate and in keeping with the theme.

An hour later, after the cake had been consumed and the presents had been presented, Serenity briefly made an appearance as well. The party didn't last too much beyond that, though. It was long past Setsuna's bed time and it was obvious she was tired. She looked almost as tired as Ami felt.

It had been a long day, made longer by the unexpectedly strenuous exercise at the ball, and Ami found herself longing for her warm bed.

* * *

Last Updated: December 22, 2012


	9. Chapter 21

Chapter 21:

Minako climbed out of her cold bath and grabbed a towel to dry herself off. When she had first come to this world, the constant cold baths were a shock to her body. However, it was the traditional way everybody cleaned themselves. In fact, when she had suggested warming the water first, she had only gotten strange looks in return.

She had discovered why this was the first time she had tried making a warm bath for herself. It had taken her hours to heat up enough water using a large pot over a fire, and the bathtub wasn't even half full before the water had started growing tepid again. To be sure, it felt more comfortable than a completely cold bath, but without a convenient hot water tap, warming the water first was just too annoying to do on a regular basis.

By now, Minako had long grown accustomed to being embraced by cold water as she washed. It wasn't comfortable, strictly speaking, but it did feel more natural.

Once Minako had finished drying herself off and was sure she wouldn't get another chill, she reached over and took a long drink from of a nearby glass of jula berry juice. The spicy, sour drink stomped down her throat, warming her to her very core as it barged its way to her stomach. The strange drink had been another thing to get used to. It was definitely an acquired taste, but now that she had acquired that taste, she absolutely loved it. It was an especially delightful way to warm up after a bath.

Minako paused at the small, polished crystal on her table which served as a mirror. She picked it up and carefully studied her face for a second. She then proudly declared to herself, "You still got it. You don't look a day over 18."

Others might have said that exaggeration to themselves as a reassurance, conveniently overlooking the laugh-lines and eye-bags which the years had steadily added. However, if Minako exaggerated, it was in the other direction. She literally couldn't tell the difference between how she looked now as compared to how she had looked when they had first traveled to the moon, or indeed even as compared to how she had looked when she had first left Tokyo almost eight years ago. If she had aged, it had happened so slowly that she had utterly failed to notice any change.

As much as she would have liked to credit her graceful aging to her diet, her behavior, and her genetics, she couldn't. She knew exactly why she still had that youthful glow about her.

It was magic.

Sure, Ami would have described how Serenity's usage of something energy was somehow something which extended something cellular damage somehow to something which something, something, something. Minako knew better, though. It was just magic, plain and simple.

Ami assured her that everybody on the moon was still aging, just aging very slowly. It was one of the perks for moving that Serenity had promised and subsequently followed through on. In addition to having helped make the population on the whole less disgruntled at their displacement, it now helped to expand the population from their small communities to a larger civilization. Sure, that life extension policy might need to change once they started outstripping the resources on the moon, but that was a problem for the future.

At the current rate of growth, it would take decades, if not centuries, before any hint of overcrowding might start to appear. In fact, they had only just founded their sixth settlement, the newly-created town of Nubium which stood a fair distance south of the palace and its surrounding town of Serenitatis. Minako had just returned from being dispatched there on a mission to ensure they had adequately settled down and to verify if they really had a problem with banditry as rumors had suggested. If they did have such a problem, she would perform as much reconnaissance of the surrounding area as she could in preparation for a larger military excursion to quash it.

The first time she had been sent on such a mission it had been to break up a slave-trading ring which "reliable intelligence" had discovered. She had been half-terrified that first time, all those years ago.

It was true that she had faced off against far more dangerous perils as Sailor V, let alone what she had faced along with Usagi and the rest of the Sailor Senshi as Sailor Venus. It was also true that she had been sent with a contingent of guards as well. However, her escorts had been substantially older than she was, and she had felt decidedly uncomfortable trying to lead people over twice her age, despite the fact they were all her friends. Also, unlike her time as Sailor Venus, she was completely bereft of magical protection and feline adviser. True, her combat prowess had grown by leaps and bounds under Ranma's tutelage, but it was hard for her to feel confident about her abilities seeing how frequently she landed on her butt when sparring against Ranma.

That had been years ago. Since then, Minako had gotten accustomed to acting as one of Serenity's most trusted advisers. She found herself acting as leader of the guards and occasionally acting as a direct agent of Serenity's around the moon, such as on this particular mission to gather intelligence in and around Numbium.

Unlike that first expedition, this entire trip had been relatively quiet. There had been no bandit attacks, or indeed anything of exceptional note. The town had had some random issues, but they were minor in the grand scheme of things. There was no threat of starvation, drought, rebellion, or really anything of concern. Minako hadn't had to draw her sword in anger for the entire trip, which counted as a definite positive in her book. Despite that, she still spent an hour each evening practicing both with and without her weapon of choice. It was better to be safe than dead. Besides, she knew if she let herself go for more than a couple of days, her welcome back to the palace would be more painful than it really needed to be.

Overall, things had worked out nicely. The lack of trouble in Nubium had meant, among other things, that Minako had been able to return to the palace in time for the anniversary ball. More importantly, it also meant she was back in time for Setsuna's very important seventh birthday. She had always made it a point to be back at the palace for both events. She was sure that Setsuna would be devastated if her, albeit self-proclaimed, favorite older sister failed to make an appearance at her party. The large crowds of the ball also provided the perfect opportunity for her to show off her singing voice.

Truth be told, Minako had found life as an idol much less exciting than she had thought it would be when she had been growing up. It was fun as far as it went, but somehow it felt so superficial as compared to her other responsibilities and the massive undertaking of building a new kingdom from the ground up. Still, it was fun to be the center of attention of a rapt audience from time to time. Besides, it was tradition by this point.

Minako paused in her morning routine at her dresser full of clothing, trying to figure out what to wear for the day. Of course she would change into the ballgown she had painstakingly created with Aquamarine's help in the evening, but that was for the evening. For the day, Minako had several fashionable outfits she could wear, and she was torn over which one to choose. The purple floral skirt would be a welcome change of pace, and it'd been a while since she had worn her blue dress which contrasted so nicely with the color of her hair. Ultimately, she ended up wearing her orange skirt and white top, so reminiscent of the uniform of Sailor Venus she had worn so long ago.

It wasn't just the colors which were reminiscent of that uniform. The extremely short length of the skirt closely echoed the uniform of Sailor Venus as well. She would have been embarrassed wearing this outfit around Tokyo when not transformed; but this wasn't Tokyo. Here, it was strictly in keeping with fashion. It might have been due to fact that the women here kept their looks for far longer, but it seemed like short skirts and tight tops were the order of the day in fashionable society. The older women liked to continue to flaunt what they hadn't yet lost, causing the younger women to be that much more daring in an attempt to stand out.

Maybe that was why Ami had decided to design the uniform of the re-created Sailor Mercury the way she had, matching it so closely to how the original uniform of Sailor Mercury had been. She wasn't sure why Ami had been so fashion conscious, though, seeing how she obviously didn't feel comfortable exposing that much skin herself. During the day, Ami wore the longest skirt and loosest blouse she could while still being considered mostly normal, unlike Ranma.

Ranma seemed to not care a whit about fashion or about what others thought of her. She wore the same white skirt which reached down to her shins and white long-sleeve shirt every single day. Compared to everybody else it was downright demure, and stood in very stark contrast to all the other women around the palace. It'd also been years since she'd changed her hairstyle from how she let it hang loose. The unusual, eye-catching, and predictable look of Ranma ensured that her very recognizable form stood out wherever she went. The only exception was on the evenings of the annual ball, when Minako would force Ranma to change both her dress and her hairstyle. Despite her quirks, or maybe because of them, Minako could name half a dozen men off the top of her head who would practically kill to have a date with Ranma.

Once Minako's shirt and skirt were on, she grabbed her sword and properly attached it to her side. It had been formed of crystal and, along with a matching scabbard, had been a gift from Serenity. It wasn't nearly as ornate as the sword she had once used to kill Beryl and had subsequently sacrificed in an attempt to awaken Usagi, but it was still beautiful to look at. It was also one of the most practical gifts she had ever received.

The crystal wasn't purely an aesthetic choice. The blade of the weapon was perpetually sharp, and its semi-translucent appearance made it that much harder for an opponent to track. It even helped balance the fight against Ranma, for the seconds to minutes it would take for the martial artist to disarm her at least. Possibly more importantly, beyond providing a useful edge in a fight, the sword announced her status and station to the public at large when outside of the Serenitatis region. Minako found it handy and far better than being unarmed, no matter what Ranma might say.

Minako took one last look at her reflection in her small mirror to make sure everything was in order. She flicked a particularly errant lock of hair behind her ear and made for the door. There was a long day planned today, just like every anniversary of the founding of the Moon Kingdom, and the earlier she got started the better.

Her first stop of the day was to Ami's lab. For an ordinary person, the trip would probably take about five minutes to walk. However, that was for ordinary people. Minako expected it to take at least 30 minutes, and had budgeted closer to an hour. She was constantly stopped on the way: by Nuumite with his thanks for her help in finding his missing son, by Apatite with her pleasantries about the recent grain harvest, by Sodalite with a question of if they ever figured out what that strange smell in the afternoon was, by Danburite with an invitation to dinner with his wife and children. Minako loved being able to help so many people, but it did make it slow to travel from point A to point B.

She was in sight of Ami's lab when she got caught in a particularly long conversation with Fluorite, who was desperately trying to find somebody to help her get a gown for the evening, due to a last-minute date request from Prehnite. Both Fluorite and Prehnite had secretly fancied each other for as long as Minako had known them, causing her to wonder why it had taken him so long to gather the nerve to ask. Minako ended up directing her to Sphalerite, a passably good dressmaker who deserved far more business and attention than he received.

Finally, Minako reached the door to Ami's lab, whereupon she hesitated. It was true that it'd been almost a year since she had opened the door to a barely avoided rogue bolt of magic, but the near-death experience had left its mark on her. Literally. It had taken months for her hair to grow back, and she had no inclination to repeat the experience, especially with the ball coming up.

She cautiously put her ear against the door. When she didn't her any excited or frantic yelling she slowly opened it, carefully keeping it as a shield blocking most of her body as she peered into the room.

"I got it!" Ami shouted out, causing Minako to reflexively duck.

"Hello, Minako-dono. What are you doing down there?" Spinel asked the now squatting girl.

When no bright flashes of light passed overhead, Minako slowly removed her hands from her head and stood up. She said, "Every time I visit this place it's always such a fun-house. What did Ami-chan just figure out this time?"

"I think I figured out a way to properly hold an aetheric energy gradient in a stable pre-configured pattern. I was thinking about Iolite-san's accident earlier. It was a tragedy, but I got to thinking that if a spontaneous aether ignition can cause the realignment of his aetheric conductive coefficient in that way, then there should be a way to do that more intentionally, especially if we use some more absorbent materials," Ami explained excitedly.

The words washed over Minako like most of Ami's explanations did. She had no idea what any of the technobabble meant. However, there was one thing stuck out in the collection of words her friend had just said. She hesitantly asked, "Iolite-kun's accident?"

"Yes. Haven't you heard?" Ami asked.

"No. I only got back last night," Minako said, a frown starting to appear on her face.

"I see. Well, there was an accident in an aetheric capacitance chamber. Iolite-san ended up rushing in and rescuing several people who were trapped by some falling debris. There are at least three people out there who owe... their... lives..." Spinel said, slowing down as she noticed the increasing frown on Minako's face.

"Don't tell me," Ami said, once Spinel had ground to a halt. "Your mysterious date for the ball?"

"Yes," Minako confirmed, her stomach long having since dropped out from under her. She had kept it a secret this year, trying to prevent what she was coming to think of as the unpreventable.

"The 'Curse of Minako-dono' strikes again, it seems," Spinel said ominously.

"Did he survive?" Minako asked in concern. She would have asked if he was alright, but given the so-called curse, the fact that he wasn't was a given. Thus far, every single one of her dates to the annual ball had only been injured to the point of making it impossible to actually attend the party. None of them had actually been killed yet, but there was always the chance for a first time.

"He'll be fine. Second degree intoxication affected 30% of his body, but he's expected to make a full recovery after three or four weeks in an isolation chamber," Ami answered.

"Can't you or Serenity-sama or somebody cast some kind of magic to heal him sooner?" Minako asked. "Maybe in time for the ball, perhaps?"

"The boss can probably explain it better than I can, but as I understand it, the problem is he's been over-exposed to aetheric energy. Any attempts to channel any more energy into him, be it more aetheric or life or anything else, will just exacerbate the problem," Spinel explained.

"Theoretically if we had access to some kind of negative energy we might be able to counter some of the poisoning and leech it out of him, but we still don't know of any sources of negative energy, let alone have any idea how to actually use it. The only thing we can really do is isolate him in as neutral an area as possible and let it correct itself naturally," Ami added.

"That's, what, the fifth year?" Spinel asked.

"No. Seventh," Minako said, feeling a stab of annoyance going through her body at the reminder.

"Seventh?" Spinel asked, shocked. "But we've only ever had seven anniversary balls."

"That's right. Every. Single. Year," Minako bit out. She was sure her face reflected exactly how she felt. "Every time my date gets hurt or disappears just before the dance. If I didn't know better, I'd say that you were all conspiring against me. Mark my words. Next year I'm getting somebody there even if I have to tie them up and watch over them day and night."

"Knowing your luck, they'd get bedsores or something and still be unable to go," Ami said, causing Minako to give a little growl in protest which she hoped sounded cute.

Rather than allowing the discussion her seemingly cursed love life to continue, Minako instead tried to change the subject. She asked, "On a different subject, any chance of Sailor Venus making her lovely appearance soon?" With the completion of Mariner Castle on Mercury, and Ami's subsequently regaining her ability to transform into Sailor Mercury, Minako looked forward to the opportunity when she could do the same.

"Probably not. Magellan Castle's going to take a few more years yet," Ami answered, dashing away those hopes.

"Magellan Castle? Really, Ami-chan, you need to let it go. We're not in Tokyo anymore," Minako said with an exasperated shake of her head. It seemed like Ami was dead set on capturing as much of a semblance of her life back in Tokyo as possible, such as when she had given the castle on Mercury the name Mariner Castle. For that matter, while the design of the Sailor Mercury uniform did match Moon Kingdom fashion, it also matched her old uniform as well to a large degree.

"It seemed appropriate," Ami said defensively.

"Don't look at me. I thought we should just call it Venus Castle and be done with it, but boss insisted," Spinel said.

Minako didn't even suppress her grimace as she said, "I guess it's a good thing that Ami-chan won out then. Magellan Castle's a much more romantic name, and I guess it'll be a nice reminder of home."

"Venus Castle is a perfectly functional name, I'll have you know," Spinel responded.

"Of course it is, but it's so boring. You brainy types are all the same," Minako answered. She did her best to ignore Spinel's pout as she went on to say, "Do me a favor. If you ever have to name something, go ask somebody like Seraphinite-kun or Pietersite-chan. They're creative and can definitely come up with some good ones."

"Or we could ask Jadeite-san. He's creative, and I'm sure he'd do anything for his 'Ami-dono,'" Spinel said, adopting an overly affected voice when saying Ami's name.

"Oh? Have there been some developments when I've been away?" Minako asked. It had been a shock when they had first met the handsome young man who shared a name with one of Endymion's, their Endymion's, Guardians. However, he had none of the characteristics of that former ally-turned-enemy-turned-rock.

"No. He's just a friend," Ami insisted. "Anyway, about Magellan Castle..."

As Ami spoke, behind her back, Spinel mouthed, "I'll tell you later." Minako subtly nodded back to her.

Ami continued, "... we ended up learning a lot from the construction of Mariner Castle. Even with the improvements we put in place as compared to the palace here, the overall effectiveness of Mariner Castle still leaves much to be desired. If we reconfigure a few more points, Magellan Castle will be able to tap into Venus far more efficiently and channel much more aetheric energy than Mariner Castle does on Mercury. It'll take us a while to completely redesign the matrix, but I think it'll be worth it in the end."

"The downside is that there's no way to go back and retrofit the changes back into Mariner Castle, let alone the palace here. I guess boss here will always be the weakest one of the planned set, unless somebody gets the crazy idea to try to make a Sailor Moon, or something," Spinel said.

"Why would that idea be so crazy?" Minako asked. The idea of a Sailor Moon seemed perfectly natural to her.

"The collection framework of the palace is terribly inefficient. It might be able to support a Sailor Moon, but that person wouldn't have access to very much aetheric energy at all. They'd need some other source of energy to really do much of anything," Spinel said.

"But with the right tools and stuff, or something like the Ginzuishou, then there's no reason why a Sailor Moon couldn't work, right?" Minako asked.

"There would need to be a different mechanism than a henshin rod to connect with the palace, as it hadn't been designed with a direct connection to its core in mind. However, assuming there was a way to establish that connection, then you're right, there's no theoretical reason there couldn't be a Sailor Moon. However, if a person had access to all of these supposed tools, let alone something like the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou, then why even bother transforming into Sailor Moon? It seems kind of pointless, if you ask me," Spinel said.

Behind Spinel's back, Ami was making frantic shushing motions to Minako. Minako didn't understand, but respected her friend's judgment. She changed the subject, saying, "I see. So anyway, besides Ami-chan and Jadeite-san becoming a couple..."

"Minako-chan," Ami protested.

"... how else have things been around here?" Minako continued, ignoring Ami's protest. "How have Ranma-chan and Setsuna-chan been?"

Setsuna had changed a lot in the past years. Her chubby, cherubic face had quickly shed its fat under Ranma's constant attention. Minako might have almost considered the training Ranma put Setsuna through at such a young age to be torture, except that it was entirely Setsuna's choice to continue. It was the one thing Ranma was most insistent on in raising her daughter. Setsuna would always have the choice to do whatever she wanted to. No arranged marriages. No forced inheritance of a school of martial arts. No scripted path in life. No nothing. Setsuna would always have the freedom to do whatever she wanted to, with the only requirement being that she had to live with the consequences of her choices.

And Setsuna's choice was to continue to learn martial arts from her mother. She would take whatever Ranma would give, and then eagerly ask for more. No matter what else had changed, the perky, cheerful, innocent personality of the young girl, so completely unlike her genial but inscrutable namesake's, had definitely not.

Ami's face took on a brief flash of panic before settling into a relatively cheerful mask. In the fake, cheerful manner that Minako had long learned to detect in her friend, Ami said, "Same as always. I think Ranma-chan started Setsuna-chan on the speed deflection training."

Something was obviously bothering Ami, and it wasn't just Ranma's usual unusual training hijinks. However, Minako doubted it would do any good to talk about it in such a public place. She decided to play along that everything was okay. If it was still a problem later, she could ask Ami at a more appropriate time.

"Ouch," Minako said, rubbing the side of her head in remembered pain. "Think she'll take it easy on Setsuna-chan, given her age and everything?"

After the briefest of pauses, Minako answered her own question saying, "Nah," while Ami said, "No way."

"That woman's about the craziest mother I've ever heard of. I hope I'm not half that bad when I have children," Minako said.

"Well, Setsuna-chan seems to enjoy it at least. She soaks it up and asks for more," Ami said.

"Right. Talk about the wrong name to give her. She's so unlike her namesake that it's not even funny. She's always so happy and energetic," Minako said.

"So completely unlike her mother too. Has Ranma-san always been like that, or was it Setsuna-chan's father running away that changed her?" Spinel asked.

"I can't really say. Neither of us really knew her much before we came here. I didn't get much of a chance to talk to Akane-san either. Hotaru-chan probably would have known more, but..." Ami trailed off with a shrug, glazing over the fact that Setsuna didn't really have a biological father as such.

Akane and Hotaru. Those were two names Minako hadn't thought of in years. In fact, she doubted she'd recognize either of them if they were to pass by on a street anymore. Usagi she would probably recognize, although maybe not Makoto and Rei. Artemis, on the other hand, she definitely remembered. However, there was no chance of seeing any of them again, so it wasn't like it really mattered.

"You mean you aren't old childhood friends?" Spinel asked. "That surprises me, seeing how you two are the only ones Ranma-san ever talks to, besides Serenity-sama that is. I assumed you three had known each other since long ago or something."

"No, nothing like that," Minako said. She hadn't really been friends with Ranma until... actually, when had it happened? It had gradually grown throughout the years, but Minako couldn't really pinpoint exactly when she had actually started considering Ranma a friend and vice versa.

"Well, no matter how you both met Ranma-san, I'm glad you did. I, for one, I can't wait for the annual floor show she puts on with you, boss," Spinel said.

"Yeah, Ami-chan. I assume you're ready for it," Minako agreed.

"Of course. I've been practicing. Let's see if little Miss Twinkle-Toes can keep her feet about her this time," Ami said, a glimmer in her eye.

"No offense, but I'd probably bet against you," Minako said.

"That's okay. I'd probably bet against me too," Ami agreed.

* * *

As time went on, Ami's mood hadn't improved. While in the lab, her attitude had been mostly masked by her chatting with Minako and Spinel. However, once they had left the lab and that distraction had disappeared, her mask fell away, especially when she thought Minako wasn't watching. It was enough to drive Minako to distraction. She was genuinely worried for her friend.

It had been an on-again-and-off-again issue for years. Every so often, Ami would just end up in these states. Minako had never been able to figure what exactly triggered them. Most recently it had been her mentioning of Setsuna, but it seemed like the most random things could set her off.

Minako decided that a detour was in order. The day was busy, but this really needed to be put to an end. She was going to get to the bottom of it this time. Singing lessons with Charoite might be fun, but Ami was important. It was obvious which took priority. She could give her apologies to Charoite tomorrow.

As they walked, Minako had to subtly wave off a few people who had started approaching her.

"What are we doing here?" Ami asked, as Minako led her into the small cafe.

"Welcome," came the routine greeting from Hematite, the owner of the cafe. Once Hematite looked up and saw who it was, her voice continued in a more energetic tone, "Oh, Minako-dono. A pleasure to see you here again. Can I get you something?"

"Not today, Hematite-chan. I just need a quiet corner. I hope you don't mind," Minako said.

"For you? No problem. Right this way," Hematite said, leading the two to a quiet corner in the back of the room.

It wasn't until the two of them were seated that Minako said to Ami, "Okay. Now something's bothering you, and you're going to tell me what it is. What's wrong?"

"Bothering me?" Ami asked, hesitating a bit. "What do you mean? Nothing's bothering me."

"Ami-chan," Minako tried again.

"Really, Minako-chan, nothing's wrong," Ami insisted. Her eyes were wandering a bit as she spoke. That was a bad sign. Usually Ami had much more of a fixed gaze. It meant she was trying to hide something.

There was a short pause as Hematite briefly appeared, dropping off two glasses of jula berry juice and a small bowl of chocolate covered jam. Minako gave a questioning look, to which Hematite answered with a smile, "Complements of the house."

"Thanks, Hematite-chan," Minako said, before Hematite walked away again.

Minako wasn't quite sure how they were made, but the chocolate covered snacks were delicious. Upon biting into the spheres, the fruit filling within would pop out, coating the entire mouth with a sweet treat.

Minako took a sip of juice, and then tried again, saying, "Come on, Ami-chan. You're not fooling anybody. If something's wrong, let me know. I want to help."

"I'm telling you the truth," Ami said. Her body language said the exact opposite.

"Really? So why haven't you had a drink, or eaten anything yet?" Minako asked.

Ami took a quick sip of her glass of juice at the prompting, as if the act would somehow convince Minako that everything was alright.

"Nothing's wrong, then? You're sure? So when I mentioned Setsuna-chan earlier..." Minako started saying, halting when she saw Ami flinch. "See? There? Are you trying to tell me that there isn't anything wrong? What is it? Is Setsuna-chan in some kind of danger? I can help."

Ami hesitated, and then hesitated some more. She gave a long sigh to herself. Eventually, as if afraid of what she was about to say, she slowly said, "No. It's not that. She's not in danger, exactly."

"So it is Setsuna-chan, then?" Minako asked, confirming what she had suspected. "What's wrong? Is she sick or something?"

"No. Nothing like that. It's just," Ami started saying, then hesitated yet again. "Earlier, she was saying how she thought that Sailor Mercury was so wonderful, and she wanted to grow up and be like me and defend people."

"So? What's wrong with that? That sounds like a great thing to me. I remember I wanted to be a magic girl when I grew up, and I can't count how many girls and boys looked up to Sailor V in England, and Sailor Venus in Japan," Minako said. "That's the point, isn't it? To inspire love and justice."

"No. I mean yes. I mean... you're right, but it's different with Setsuna-chan," Ami said. She sighed again. After a pause, she asked, "Have you ever noticed all the similarities between this world and our home world?"

The abrupt change of topic threw Minako for a loop, but her intuition was telling her that Ami had a reason for asking. It didn't seem like Ami was just trying to avoid the topic at hand. Minako decided to play along. She said, "I guess so. What about it?"

"Have you ever thought that maybe they aren't just coincidences?" Ami asked. "I think we might actually be in the Moon Kingdom."

"Uhh... Of course we're in the Moon Kingdom, Ami-chan. Where else would we be?" Minako said.

"No, I mean in the Moon Kingdom. Our Moon Kingdom. The one from our world. From thousands of years ago. That Moon Kingdom," Ami said.

"Are you feeling alright? I know you've been under a lot of stress for that Magellan Castle project. Maybe you need a break? It isn't like it needs to be done tomorrow," Minako said. She felt worried for her friend's mental health.

"I'm being serious here," Ami insisted. "Haven't you ever noticed how Terra looks a lot like Earth?"

"Now that you mention it, it is kind of similar," Minako admitted. She hadn't really paid attention before, but now that it was pointed out, she could see the similarity between the oceans and continents on the blue planet constantly hovering in the sky above and the maps of Earth she had last seen years ago.

"There's more, too. Think about it. Serenity-sama's name, the crystal she named the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou, Endymion's name, the planets, the palace, the moon, and all of it. Do you really think it's all just a coincidence?" Ami asked, conviction adding weight to her voice and making Minako all the more receptive to the idea because of it.

Minako popped a chocolate into her mouth as she considered what Ami said. Now that the similarities were being listed out, there were a lot more of them than she had thought. She asked, "So that would make Serenity-sama the ancestor of Usagi-chan."

Ami nodded.

"Does that mean Setsuna-chan, Ranma-chan's daughter, is the ancestor of Setsuna-san from our world then?" Minako asked.

"I don't know. I know that the male line of the Terra Kingdom passed along the name Endymion, and the female line of the Moon Kingdom passed along the name of Serenity. Maybe they did a similar thing on Pluto," Ami said.

"Okay. I'm still not seeing why you are so worried though," Minako said.

"It's kind of complicated. It could be good if Setsuna-chan becomes Sailor Pluto, but it could be bad too. Either way, there might be all sorts of problems. That's what I'm worried about," Ami said.

"Problems? What kinds of problems?" Minako asked.

"Tell me. Do you know what a grandfather paradox is?" Ami asked.

"No. What's that?" Minako asked. She hoped this was leading somewhere. She was finding it a bit hard to follow the jumps in conversation Ami kept making.

"A grandfather paradox is one of the basic problems of time travel," Ami explained. "Let's say you could go back in time."

"Like you think we did," Minako interrupted.

"Yes, like I think we did. Now let's say you meet up with your paternal grandfather, and then you kill him," Ami said.

"What? Why would I want to kill my grandfather?" Minako interrupted again in alarm.

"I don't know. Maybe it was an accident? Who knows? It doesn't matter," Ami asserted.

"I think it's pretty important why I killed my grandfather," Minako declared. She didn't understand how Ami could find it so inconsequential to kill a member of her own family. Then again, based on her home in Tokyo and its expensive furnishings, Ami's family had been rich, and Minako knew from television that rich families always had some dark, hidden secret. That explained it. Poor Ami.

"Like I said, it doesn't matter for this scenario. The important thing is that you killed your grandfather. That means that your father couldn't have been born, because his father was dead. That means you couldn't have been born, because your father was never born," Ami pressed on, visibly frustrated.

"Okay, that sounds bad," Minako admitted.

"It's worse than that. If you weren't born, then you couldn't go back in time to kill your grandfather. That means your grandfather was still alive, so your father could be born, so you could be born. But if you were born that means that you could go back in time to kill your grandfather," Ami explained.

"Wait, that means that I'm both alive and not alive?" Minako asked. Her head hurt from thinking about it.

"Exactly. That's the paradox, and that's what causes causality to enter an indeterminate state," Ami said.

Minako didn't respond. Thoughts of being both alive and not alive at the same time floated around in her head and crowded out all other thoughts.

"That's what I'm so worried about. It sounds like Setsuna-chan should become Sailor Pluto, but what if she isn't supposed to? What if it's just a coincidence that she has the same name as Setsuna-san did? What if she is supposed to become Sailor Pluto, but not now? What if she is supposed to become Sailor Pluto now, and we stop her from doing it? I just don't know what to do, and the costs of making a mistake are incalculable," Ami said.

Minako wasn't quite sure what the problem was. Setsuna didn't even have a father, let alone a paternal grandfather, at least in any sense that they knew. Despite that, she could tell that Ami was clearly worried. Her mask of normalcy had fallen away, and worry covered her face.

This left Minako in a bit of a bind. She wanted to help, but really didn't know what to do. Well, there was only one thing for it.

* * *

"Are you crazy?" Ami shouted at Minako.

"I just thought Serenity-sama could give some advice. She knows a lot of stuff about a lot of stuff," Minako said.

Minako hadn't known what else to do, so decided to resort to her fallback position of getting advice from some trusted friends. Normally when an intellectual problem stumped her, the first person she would consult would be Ami. As Ami was the one actually presenting the problem this time, she decided the next best person to talk to was Serenity. The queen's wisdom and experience might shed some light which Ami's vast analytical abilities somehow overlooked.

Ranma gave a quiet scoff to herself. For some reason, she had been in the throne room when Minako and Ami had approached Serenity, and thus she had overheard Minako's explanation of the situation.

"What?" Minako asked.

"Nothing," Ranma said. "It's just you actually think this is the Moon Kingdom from our world?"

Ami got an all together indescribable look on her face. Minako utterly failed to read what it might have meant. Regardless, Ami wasn't answering, so Minako pressed forward on her own.

"Why's that so funny? Ami-chan and I were talking about it before. There's lots of things in common, like how Terra looks like Earth, and how the Moon Kingdom from our world had a Serenity and an Endymion, just like here," Minako said. She thought Ami had mentioned a few other things as well, but Minako couldn't remember what they had been off the top of her head.

"Sure, they're interesting coincidences, but they don't actually mean anything," Ranma insisted. "Look, I'll be the first to admit I don't know much about the history of the Moon Kingdom, I mean the Moon Kingdom from our world, but I certainly know the history of my own. I don't know about you, but I haven't seen any mass oppression of the people of Terra, and I certainly haven't seen anything like the Battle of Toga Falls."

"What's the Battle of Toga Falls?" Serenity asked.

"It was one of the key moments in the formation of the Terra Kingdom. It was when Endymion the Liberator finally threw off the shackles of Serenity the Vengeful. It was the culmination of his rebellion against Serenity, and it was supposed to be his last stand. 100,000 tired soldiers against her surrounding army of 500,000. Just when all hope seemed lost, the planet itself intervened. An earthquake opened a chasm in the ground, burying half of Serenity's troops and creating the namesake waterfall. Even so, Endymion still faced an army over twice the size of his, but he led them into battle despite the overwhelming odds. It was an impossible victory. They were able to capture and banish Serenity to the moon, which paved the way for his son, Endymion the Unifier, to bring everybody on Terra together under his beneficent rule," Ranma explained.

"That's weird. I keep hearing Endymion's and my name, but you're talking about two entirely different people," Serenity said.

"Now you know how we feel," Minako said in sympathy.

"So, like I was saying, I don't know about you, but I know I haven't seen Serenity-sama do anything which would earn her the title 'the Vengeful,' so it must be a different person. I'm pretty sure we couldn't raise an army of 500,000 either," Ranma said.

"Maybe 10,000, if we really put everything into it," Minako agreed.

"See? So this couldn't be our Moon Kingdom," Ranma finished explaining.

"Wait. Couldn't that just mean that this Battle of Toga Falls you mentioned just happened in the future then?" Minako asked.

"You mean I bring everybody to the moon to avoid a war, then go back to Terra to fight a war and conquer everybody, then raise an army 50 times the size that we can support to fight a rebellion, then lose that battle despite having the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou, and then get sent back up here to re-found the same kingdom had I left in the first place?" Serenity asked.

"Exactly," Minako said, glad that Serenity understood.

Ranma rolled her eyes, then said, "No, Minako-chan, that isn't possible. If you really want me to, I can tell you all about the history of the Terra Kingdom some time, but that just isn't possible. Trust me. Besides, if Serenity-sama were to try to do something evil like try and control the lives of an entire planet full of people like Serenity the Vengeful did, I'd be forced to stop her myself."

Serenity raised her eyes in curiosity and asked in a humorous voice, "Is that a threat, Ranma-san?"

"Uhh..." Ranma said, scratching the back of her head. "Yes?"

"I'll be certain to keep that in mind if I ever go crazy and try to conquer a planet," Serenity said with a light laugh.

Minako found Ranma's arguments compelling enough, but could tell that Ami was still unconvinced. However, Ami stayed just as silent as she had ever since Minako had first broached the subject of time travel. Just in case, Minako decided to add a bit more advice she had heard earlier. She said, "If you do, just remember, don't kill your paternal grandfather. We don't want you turning into a zombie."

"What?" Serenity asked, confused.

"Don't kill her paternal grandfather? What about her maternal grandfather?" Ranma asked, also looking confused.

Ami hadn't mentioned that, so it was probably safe. Minako said, "I guess that's okay. Your paternal grandmother is probably okay to kill too, but you'd need to ask Ami-chan."

"Okay. I'll be sure not to," Serenity said slowly, looking completely baffled.

Minako couldn't help but feel she had missed something important in her advice. It had made so much more sense when Ami had explained it to her earlier.

Ami opened her mouth, closed it, and then opened it again. She was hesitating, clearly torn about something. The other three people in the room watched her as she slowly asked, "Okay. So we aren't from the future then. That's good. However, let's say for the sake of argument that we actually were. Would that affect how you would send us home in any way?"

"To tell you the truth, I don't know. In principle I don't think it would affect anything," Serenity said.

"I see," Ami said, disappointed.

"So, now that all of that's settled, I believe you just got back from a trip to Nubium, Minako-dono? Were there any problems that we should be aware of?" Serenity asked.

"Nothing serious, Serenity-sama," Minako answered. "There was no sign of banditry or anything else troubling near Nubium. They had a bit of a crop shortage, but it's not quite at famine level. I suggest that we check back with them in a month or two, and let Humorum know too, just in case. They may need some food assistance if their bad luck continues. They could arrange something like what Crisium and Fecunditatis have set up."

Fecunditatis always seemed to be on the borderline of famine each year. Ami had advised against settling in that area, but scenery had overruled common sense for the residents there. However, no optimistic settlement name and wishful thinking could ever hope to change the agriculture of the area.

"Very well. Try to arrange to buy some extra supplies from Imbrium as well, in case we need it. I'd rather have too much than too little in case things go bad. Anything else?" Serenity asked.

"Nope," Minako confirmed.

"Very well. I was going to drop by the lab later today, but since you're here, Ami-dono, why don't you let me know how Project Magellan Castle is going too?" Serenity asked Ami.

"We finally figured out what was causing the array misalignment, so we don't have any more specific stumbling blocks for now. Initial estimates put Magellan Castle at somewhere like a 50% higher efficiency than Mariner Castle. We're going to be doing a practice simulation next month to make sure the collection matrix is stable, but I wouldn't expect any major updates until a month or two after that as it will take time to analyze the results," Ami said.

Minako tuned the rest of Ami's answer out. So maybe three or so months before Minako would be able to find out more details from Ami. Everything else she said was mere technobabble which Minako was hard pressed to follow.

As Ami spoke, Minako couldn't help but notice that she was practically glowing with excitement. Minako could almost have been envious of the amount of pleasure Ami found in her work, except that Minako loved what she was doing just as much.

* * *

"Are you crazy?" Ami shouted at Minako.

They were surrounded by the sound of plants rustling in a fresh breeze, and the bright blue orb of Terra was visible in the sky above. It didn't cast nearly as much light as the Sun did on the days it was in the sky, but Terra still managed to illuminate the area well enough to allow Minako and Ami to easily navigate the path between the throne room and the guardhouse. The path Minako had chosen hadn't been the fastest one, but it was one of the more scenic ones. It was one of the quieter paths too, having far fewer people than the confined hallways of the palace did.

"You already asked that," Minako said.

"I know, and I don't care," Ami said. "Why'd you tell Serenity-sama that?"

"Tell her what?" Minako asked. "You mean that you thought we were from the future?"

"Yes. Why'd you do that?" Ami asked.

"I thought she could give some advice. She usually has good ideas whenever I have a problem I can't solve," Minako explained.

"Telling her is one of the problems!" Ami shouted.

"Why's that a problem?" Minako asked, confused. "She promised not to kill her paternal grandfather too, so everything's fine, right?"

"No. It's not that simple," Ami said, shaking her head. It seemed it was never that simple with Ami. "Let's say you just managed to prevent the fall of the Moon Kingdom. That means that the Moon Kingdom is still around in the 20th century, but in our world nobody is on the moon. That affects everything. This means that everything in our world is different, so chances are we wouldn't even have been sent back to this time in the first place, which means you couldn't have told Serenity anything to stop the fall of the Moon Kingdom."

Minako turned that over in her head a few times. If this was the Moon Kingdom from their past, and she had just prevented the fall of it, then she wouldn't be sent back here, so she wouldn't be here to talk to Serenity, so Serenity wouldn't know anything, so the Moon Kingdom would fall, so she would be sent back here, so she could talk to Serenity, so the Moon Kingdom would still be here, so she wouldn't be sent back here, so she wouldn't be here to talk to Serenity, so...

"Oh, I see," Minako said. "I guess it's a good thing we aren't from the future of this world then, isn't it?"

"I'm not so sure about that. At least we're still here, so that's good thing. Just, please, be careful, Minako-chan. Don't tell anybody else here anything from our world. I'd better tell Serenity-sama, just in case. Ranma-chan too," Ami said. "Actually, where did Ranma-chan go? I swear she was behind us when we left the throne room."

Minako turned around in a complete circle, confirming what Ami had just said. Ranma was nowhere in sight. Minako hadn't even seen her leave.

"Why are you asking me? How am I supposed to know what that woman gets up to?" Minako asked back.

"It seems like you know everything else that happens in Serenitatis," Ami said.

Minako in fact did know most of what most people around Serenitatis, let along the people in the palace itself, were up to these days. Ami would spend her time doing research in her lab or in a library with Spinel and the others. Minako herself would spend her time leading Peridot, Aventurine, and the other guards; or wandering around helping people with whatever issues came up. Aquamarine, Hematite, and Jadeite tended to their stores. Tourmaline and Howlite worked their farms. Kyanite gossiped with Lepidolite and the others. Morganite did his painting. Cassiterite did what she claimed was sculpting but was instead an excuse to ogle handsome men. The list went on. However, noticeably absent from that list was Ranma. Minako simply had no idea what Ranma did on a daily basis.

"Maybe, but I don't have any idea what Ranma-chan's up to these days," Minako said. "Every time I try to find out, she just dodges the question."

"You don't suppose Ranma-chan is acting as a bodyguard for Serenity-sama, do you? She has saved her life, what, three, four times by now? That could explain why she was there when we stopped by earlier too," Ami speculated.

"That's possible, but Serenity-sama hasn't had needed a personal bodyguard for years. Ranma-chan doesn't spend nearly the amount of time with her that a bodyguard would be expected to, either," Minako said.

"Right," Ami said. "Well, we might as well head to the dojo. That's where we were headed anyway, and Ranma-chan's bound to show up there to pick up Setsuna-chan at some point."

* * *

She knew the path by heart, but even if she hadn't, the approach to the dojo would have been made clear when a child's loud "hai-yaa!" sounded from within. Minako smoothly drew her crystal sword from her scabbard as they approached. She took the matching crystal scabbard from her hip as well and held it in her left hand as a second, less-lethal sword. It never hurt to be armed and ready whenever they approached the dojo, especially when Ranma's presence was unaccounted for.

Just before Ami opened the door, a large thump came from a wall to the side.

"I'll bet you anything that that's Setsuna-chan's work," Minako said.

"No way. No bet," Ami answered. She opened the door, revealing the scene within.

Indeed it had been Setsuna. She had apparently thrown a much older girl across the room. Opal, the victim of the throw, was apparently in her late teens, but that didn't mean much. Minako herself looked like she was still a teenager, despite being 24 years old. Her rough guess put Opal as being closer to 30 than 20.

As Opal gingerly pulled herself up from the floor, across the room, Setsuna's voice chided, "I thought we covered this yesterday. Snap your arm back faster after you punch. Don't tell me we have to start all over from the basics again."

"Sorry, sensei," Opal said, straightening herself out. She had just joined the guards two months ago. As such, like every other new recruit, she was getting some basic self-defense classes from Setsuna.

"God, how does she do it? She's what, nine? I don't know what's worse: that she's teaching us, or that she can wipe the floor with us. I can barely stand to look at myself in the mirror," Variscite said from in front of Minako. Despite his much older age, much like Opal, Variscite had only recently decided to join the guards and was still getting oriented. Judging from his condition and the lack of exhaustion in his voice, Minako suspected that he hadn't yet had his turn.

"That's nothing. You should have been here a few years ago. Her mother would pound us across the room while she was nursing that girl there. Now that was embarrassing," Gaspeite said from beside Variscite. He both looked like and actually was in his late 60s. He might not have been the most energetic or ambitious guard, but he was reliable enough for routine calls. Minako frequently had him perform light duties, such as walking the beat and talking to shopkeepers to make sure everything was in order. He enjoyed it, and people found him easy to talk to, what with his grandfatherly demeanor.

"We all started there at some point. That's why you're here, isn't it? To get stronger. For queen and kingdom, and all that, right?" Minako said from behind the pair, eliciting a jump in surprise from both people. They had been so caught up with watching the match that they hadn't even noticed her and Ami come into the room. Minako knew from experience that if they were ever going to get any further in martial arts, that would need to change.

"Minako-obachan!" was her only warning before a flying Setsuna grabbed her in a gigantic hug. Minako had to be careful to avoid cutting the young girl with her still-drawn sword.

"Now, now, Setsuna-chan. What have I told you about the 'obachan?' Do I look like some old woman to you?" Minako asked, hugging the girl with her left arm. Her hand still held her scabbard tight.

"Fine, Minako-obaachan," Setsuna almost giggled out.

Minako gave a comic growl of displeasure, while mostly suppressing a laugh of her own. The assembled students visibly relaxed. Whenever Minako or Ami visited, it always meant a few minutes of reprieve from their training and a chance to catch their collective breath.

"So, when did you get back?" Setsuna asked.

"I got back last night. Things were cleared up much faster than we expected, and I just couldn't miss your birthday, now could I? Especially this important year," Minako said.

"Important? What's important about this year?" Setsuna asked.

"You're turning seven. That's a special year, like when you turned three," Ami explained.

"Turning seven?" Variscite asked with dismay from behind Minako.

"It is? Then how come none of my friends had anything special happen on their birthdays. I mean anything different than usual?" Setsuna asked.

"It's because they celebrate things differently. Do you remember how your mother and we came from a different place?" Ami asked. When Setsuna nodded Ami continued, "In that country, there was a certain festival called the Seven-Five-Three Festival. Those are considered lucky years, and there are all sorts of traditions which go along with them."

"Seven-Five-Three Festival? Then how come nothing happened when I turned five?" Setsuna asked.

"It's because you're a girl. The fifth year is special for boys, and the seventh year is special for girls," Ami said.

"We're supposed to be celebrating it on a specific day, but since we came here, the calendar's all different, so your mother decided to just celebrate it on your birthday," Minako added.

"I see," Setsuna said. Then with an eagerness that would do her mother proud, she suggested, "Say, do you want to spar?"

Minako exchanged a glance with Ami, who shrugged back. Minako decided she could squeeze in a bit of time, just for Setsuna. Besides, Ranma hadn't yet appeared, and they had more of a chance of her showing up at the dojo than of being able to successfully hunt her down themselves. They'd made that mistake once before, two years ago. For somebody whose characteristic dress was so visible, she could be almost impossible to find at times.

"Sure, but don't you have to train Variscite-kun first?" Minako asked.

"Oh, no, don't mind me. You go ahead," Variscite said with a touch too much eagerness in his voice. A quick look around confirmed to Minako that the rest of the class, even those who were exhausted, had a new-found energy and focus directed at the three in anticipation for the upcoming demonstration.

"So, who do you want to face first?" Ami asked.

Rather than answering directly, Setsuna twisted her right leg around the still hugged Minako and leaned forward. Minako had experienced all sorts of surprises from Ranma throughout the years so wasn't taken off-guard, but even so she was too off-balance to properly compensate her weight and was pushed onto her back despite herself.

The first thing Minako did was throw her sword at the ceiling with as much force as she could. It wasn't like she was fighting Ranma. If she actually used her sword, she might seriously hurt Setsuna. The extra force of the toss helped to straighten Minako's fall from the off-kilter angle Setsuna's underhanded throw had caused too.

She wanted to keep her scabbard, but her intuition was telling her that that would be a bad idea. Minako had long learned to rely on her feelings, so lightly dropped it. The scabbard wasn't sharp, so falling on it might be uncomfortable, but it wouldn't be very dangerous.

Despite outweighing the not-quite-seven-year-old Setsuna by a factor of two, Minako didn't settle for just landing on her back and simply overpowering her opponent. It was always dangerous being pinned by a student of Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu, no matter how slight she might be. Besides, even if Setsuna didn't have anything planned, what was the fun of such an easy win? Instead, Minako disentangled her leg from Setsuna's as she fell and piked her body to put some space between her and her attacker.

Minako positioned herself to land on her lower back, bracing herself as best she could, and then used her momentum to force the pair into a backwards roll along her back. As she rolled, Setsuna directly on top of her, she kicked forcefully outwards with her legs. This had the effect of breaking Setsuna's hold on her and sending the child flying off behind her as if she had been shot from a catapult. The short distance between Minako and Setsuna also ensured her legs wouldn't have enough momentum to directly injure the girl. It was a perfect result in Minako's opinion.

Continuing the roll backwards, Minako caught herself with her arms and pushed out with both of her free hands, forcing herself into the air away from the direction she had kicked Setsuna. Her arms weren't strong enough to give her much height, but she still had enough clearance to twist in the air and land in a crouch facing Setsuna.

Facing where Setsuna should have been, but Minako didn't see her on the ground in front of her. The lack of visible opponent disconcerted her.

Up? The image flashed through Minako's mind and she glanced up, just in time to see Setsuna kicking off the section of wall near the ceiling. Rather than trying to intercept the flying girl, who had a major energy and positional advantage at the moment, the still crouching Minako prepared to jump away from Setsuna's pending attack.

However, instead of leaping straight at Minako, Setsuna instead kicked straight across the ceiling above Minako's head. Once above her, Setsuna grabbed onto the hilt of the sword which was now stuck in the ceiling. Minako didn't think Setsuna had the strength to claim the embedded weapon, but the momentum of her kick away from the wall must have provided enough extra energy. Setsuna was able to wrench the sword free from where it was stuck, high above. She continued her fall with less horizontal velocity, landing deftly to the ground. It would have been behind Minako if she hadn't turned to follow the girl.

Minako hadn't wanted to use her sword against Setsuna, but it seemed that the young girl had no such compunction when facing against the superior Minako. The bastard sword was a convenient size in Minako's hands, balanced for either one-handed or two-handed use as the situation dictated, but in Setsuna's hands it looked more like a claymore. It was obvious that Setsuna was struggling a bit under its weight, but Minako still found it intimidating to face while she herself was unarmed.

The weight of the oversized weapon would slow Setsuna down substantially, so dodging her attacks would be easier, albeit more dangerous than if she were unarmed. Minako could probably even catch the blade if she needed to, but she didn't want to try her, granted remarkable, luck in a casual practice spar, no matter how easy Ranma made the trick look whenever Minako faced against her.

Ideally she would use her scabbard to defend herself. It was down by her feet. However, Minako couldn't just lean down to pick it up without leaving herself open for a moment. Maybe if she kicked it just right, she might be able to grab it from the air before Setsuna could react.

It was strange. Normally Minako had some flash or insight about what she should do next, but her intuition was utterly failing to prompt her to do anything this time.

Then, Minako noticed a sight which relieved her of her decision. She forced herself to visibly relax, keeping ready to dodge if she needed to. She then called out, "Hey, Ranma-chan."

"Nice try Minako-obachan, but you tried that last time," Setsuna said, not risking the look back. Last time, Minako had taken the opportunity to sweep Setsuna's feet out from under her while she had been distracted.

"Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you," Minako cautioned, still standing relaxed.

"I won't," Setsuna said, starting to run forward, sword held above her head. Her charge was interrupted halfway to Minako when a training mat flew through the air, knocked her forward, and then landed with a thud on top of her.

Setsuna scrambled to her feet, both dazed and upset. She turned and shouted, "Who did... Mother! What'd you do that for?"

"You've always got to be aware of your surroundings and be prepared for anything. I've told you stories about how fights escalate. You're practicing Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu. You need to pay attention. Minako-chan even warned you this time, so you have no excuse," Ranma said.

"It's not fair. I thought she was bluffing," Setsuna whined back.

"It was still your decision to ignore her warning. You need to take responsibility for your choices," Ranma answered back.

Setsuna just gave an adorable pout in protest.

"Welcome back, Ranma-chan. Where were you?" Ami asked from across the room. Meanwhile, Minako leaned down and retrieved her scabbard. Rather than return it to her side, though, she held it carefully in her right hand in an unassuming ready position.

"I was just taking care of some things," Ranma said noncommittally.

"As evasive as always. Well, no matter. We need to get ready for the ball tonight," Minako said. The prospect of the upcoming party, even without a date, caused Minako to break out in a wide smile with just the hint of mania in it. She always loved a chance to dress up, a chance to stand in the spotlight, and a chance to party. The annual ball provided all three.

"Are we going shopping now? I love seeing the dresses," Setsuna asked hopefully as she returned Minako's sword to her. She was far more courteous than Ranma would have been, handing it out for Minako to grab the handle. Ranma would have just thrown the sword to her. Handle first, of course. Probably. Minako shifted her scabbard to her left hand, and took the sword with her right, holding both in a subtle, ready position.

"That depends. Are you finished with your lessons here? We wouldn't want to leave your students halfway through, would you?" Ranma asked.

Minako could see the indecision bouncing around in Setsuna's head. On the one hand was the responsibility to her students that she had taken on when she had first started teaching the beginner classes. On the other hand, dresses. Ultimately, responsibility won out, and she said gloomily, "No, I'm not done here yet."

Behind her, Variscite and Gaspeite looked even more depressed that Setsuna did.

"Why don't Minako-chan and I help you finish your class, Setsuna-chan? That way it will go faster," Ami suggested.

"That's a great idea, Ami-obachan," Setsuna said. "They can help too, right mother?"

"It's been a while since I've seen Minako-chan, so I was thinking maybe we could have a quick match. I need to make sure she's kept up while she's been gone. But if Ami-chan wants to help you out, that's up to you two. Maybe you can even learn something new from watching her," Ranma answered.

"Okay," Setsuna agreed. Then turning to Ami she said, "I think Variscite-san was up next."

"Variscite-san?" Ami prompted, causing the man to slowly climb to his feet.

Minako didn't have any more time to watch the three of them as Ranma squared-off in front of her.

"Let's see how much you've forgotten in the past month," Ranma challenged before taking up a stance.

Minako gulped, and then switched her stance to a more visible and offensive one, her sword and scabbard held in a cross in front of her. She was sure she'd be disarmed within five minutes at the most, but she planned on making the most of her advantage while she had it before she was forced to resort to hand-to-hand combat.

Then, for no reason she could entirely quantify, she changed her stance to the most defensive one she knew. Something wasn't quite right, although she couldn't place what it was. Something... behind her?

Minako spun around, swinging her scabbard across her body in an arc as she did so. As she was swinging blindly, she didn't want to risk the blade, lest she accidentally cut somebody who had wandered into the wrong place. Her makeshift blunt sword sliced through the air and bisected a speeding orb of light, causing it to dissipate into the air.

She continued her spin, lowering to a crouch for no apparent reason as she did so. Her back had been turned towards Ranma, and she needed to get a fix on her opponent's position as quickly as possible. When she had completed her turn, Ranma's foot was already up in the air, readying a roundhouse kick that would have clocked Minako in the head if she had been standing up. This left Ranma's other foot vulnerable. Minako used her momentum to swing her sword as quickly as she could, assured in the knowledge that Ranma would avoid the blade, even if Minako didn't know how.

Ranma continued her kick despite Minako's position, only higher than normal. She then pushed off with her back foot. This turned the kick into a sloppy, circle kick which sailed over Minako's crouched form. Minako wasn't in a position to redirect her committed momentum upwards, so the martial artist simply flew over her. Ranma tumbled when she hit the ground and sprang back to her feet. Meanwhile Minako turned, rose to a standing position, and retook an offensive stance.

A draw. Ranma hadn't taken a hit, but Minako hadn't either. She still had her sword and scabbard too. All things considered, she'd take it.

Minako took the offensive, charging at Ranma, and beginning the next round of combat herself.

* * *

Minako was leading the group towards Aquamarine's shop, as was tradition. Occasionally she was stopped by some passersby who wanted to exchange a quick word with her, but such stops were rare. By this point of the day, everybody was getting ready for the annual ball. Even though she crossed the paths of many people, the only person to really stop and chat was Cassiterite. She was searching for some new models. Minako suggested she talk to Rhodochrosite, a narcissist who she knew would love the attention.

As always in their preparations for the ball, the first stop was the dress shop for their final fitting. With Aquamarine's skill, adjustments were never needed, but it was better to be safe than to go all night with a nasty pinch, or worse, the fear of something slipping off at a bad time. This was doubly important for Ami and triply important for Ranma. Minako still didn't see how they had ended up in their annual traditional pairing, which had become part-demonstration and part-competition, but it had become quite the spectacle that people looked forward to. It also got quite a few students to the dojo. Membership always had a spike each year just after the ball.

She was looking forward to seeing Ranma's reaction to the dress Minako had arranged for her. It was so much fun to play dress-up with the woman. It allowed Minako to play with ornate, revealing, or otherwise utterly impractical clothing. Ranma's reaction to the increasing absurdity in what Minako designed each year was a pleasure to watch as well.

This year's dress was an extra-special confection. It was made of three separate pieces of pale green cloth, one for each arm and one for the torso, tied together with countless gossamer threads that created an eye-catching shimmering effect while hiding none of the skin underneath it. She would never wear such a thing herself, but that was the fun of picking out clothing for somebody else. Maybe there was a touch of revenge for the beatings she still got on a regular basis from Ranma in the dojo, too. 

This year she had even gotten Setsuna's help to give the dress that extra little touch. A quick look at Ranma's daughter showed how excited she was to see how much her mother enjoyed what she had helped make. Minako felt particularly clever with her plan this year.

Minako made sure to enter the shop first, taking a strategic position as Ranma's dress came into view. As she had entered, Aquamarine's face had a semi-transparent look to it that made it obvious she was hiding a secret of some sort, but that didn't really matter. The increasingly absurd dresses that Minako foisted onto the recalcitrant Ranma had only gotten more and more ostentatious over the years, so it was hardly a secret that this year's would be even more grandiose. In a way, it was Ranma's own fault for having nothing to do with her own party preparations, leaving everything in Minako's hands by default.

Ranma's reaction did not disappoint either. The normally unflappable woman's face turned ashen as she saw the collection of cloth and thread come into view, strategically positioned to make the best impression on a dressmaker's doll.

"Another strapless dress?" was Ranma's first lament. "I hate strapless dresses. They always feel like they're going to fall off."

"Has a dress ever fallen off?" Minako countered.

"No," Ranma admitted.

"Then don't worry about it. It'll be fine," Minako said. The dress did look particularly insubstantial this year, but she was sure it'd be fine. Mostly sure. Aquamarine surely would have warned her if the dress wouldn't hold together, right? Oh well. Minako wasn't the one who would be wearing it, so she didn't spend too much time worrying about it.

"The falling off isn't what I'm worried about. I'd almost prefer that. It looks terrible," Ranma said, neatly falling into the trap Minako had laid out for her.

"You mean you don't like it? But I spent so much time on it," Setsuna said with a pout on her face.

"You mean you made this dress, Setsuna-chan?" Ranma asked, her ashen face managing to pale even further.

"Yes. I thought you'd like it," Setsuna said. "I put the ruffles on specially for you."

Ranma looked bereft of words. Minako took the opportunity to apply just a bit more leverage to the situation. She said, "Come on, try it on at least. Setsuna-chan put a lot of effort into the design. You wouldn't want your daughter's efforts to go to waste, now would you?"

Emotional blackmail. It might not be the most honorable thing ever, but it sure was fun. It never failed to work against Ranma whenever Setsuna was involved, either.

Ranma shot her a glare which left no doubt that Ranma knew that Minako bore the lion's share of the blame for the creation which confronted her, and that revenge would be extracted at some time in the future.

It was so totally worth it.

"... Fine," Ranma finally yielded. "But it's only fair if I put my dress on that you do the same Setsuna-chan."

Minako jolted to attention. She hadn't known that Setsuna had gotten a dress this year. A quick look to Setsuna suggested she hadn't known either. Aquamarine's semi-transparent look of hiding a secret was now outright transparent too.

"What dress, mother? I don't have one," Setsuna said, hope and fear fighting for control of her voice.

"Yes you do. Aquamarine-san?" Ranma asked.

Aquamarine pulled out a bright flash of red and black from behind a counter, which resolved itself into another dress as it settled still in her hands. It was half the size of the adults' dresses, which would fit the smaller Setsuna perfectly. It was cute and ornate, as befitting a young girl. It presented the doll-like look of trying too hard to appear formal and mature while not quite succeeding which girls somehow lost the right to wear as they grew up.

Setsuna gave out a squeal of happiness.

"Did you know she was going to do this?" Ami whispered to Minako.

"I had no idea," Minako whispered back. "I didn't think she had it in her."

"You mean, that's for me?" Setsuna asked, just to make sure.

"Yes. You've come to the ball enough times. It's time you actually looked the part," Ranma said. "Happy birthday, Setsuna-chan."

Setsuna gave another squeal.

"Come on. I'll help you put it on," Ranma said, starting to escort Setsuna to the back of the shop.

Minako wasn't about to let her get away that easily. She pointedly coughed, holding up Ranma's so-called dress as well.

"That's right. You have to change too, mother," Setsuna declared.

Ranma shot Minako another dirty glare, but roughly swiped the gown from Minako's grasp.

"Why do you do that? It's not like you'd ever wear anything like that yourself," Ami asked once Ranma was out of sight.

"What makes you think I wouldn't?" Minako asked with a straight face. She held her own dress as she spoke. It was also strapless, but it much more reasonable than Ranma's. The orange dress came close to covering her shoulders, and the top of the dress was accented with a blue ribbon sewn along the edge. Its short sleeves appeared to end above the elbow, but they were extended by some translucent cloth which extended them closer to her wrists. The dress was held closed by a series of large buttons along the side which, rather than being hidden, were a very prominent blue matching the ribbon accent above.

Eventually, Minako cracked under Ami's stare, admitting, "She's not choosing her own designs so somebody has to. Besides, it's fun. After all, somebody's got to get that girl to embrace her femininity more."

Ami remained silent after Minako's declaration, simply grabbing her spaghetti strap dress and its accompanying shawl and walking to a quieter corner to change.

"What?" Minako asked to Ami's back before following suit.

The fact that zippers didn't seem to exist on the moon made donning the dress much trickier than it might have been back home, but Aquamarine was an expert designer, and Minako had had years to grow accustomed to the buttons, fastenings, and cords used instead. She was able to change with only a minimum of fuss. She fluffed her skirt a bit to make sure it settled correctly, then left the changing room. She felt half-naked without her sword at her side, seeing how she wore it everywhere else for the rest of the year, but no matter how beautiful the blade was, it had no place in the annual ball.

The others had had just as much practice wearing this formal clothing as Minako had, so it came as little surprise that before she could finish changing, Ranma already had her dress on and was negotiating with Setsuna and Aquamarine on the other side of the room. Aquamarine was holding out a pair of earrings as Minako approached.

"I don't care, I not putting them on," Ranma declared. "Why would I wear something which hurts that much?"

"You really do need them to complete the look," Aquamarine asserted.

"It's the price of beauty, Ranma-chan," Minako said, catching on to the argument quickly. "You have to wear them with that dress. If you don't the entire look will be off-balanced."

"How many times do I have to tell you, I don't care about beauty," Ranma protested. "I don't even know why I keep coming to these balls."

"But they're so pretty," Setsuna said, clipping one of the clip-on earrings to her ear and then admiring how it looked in a mirror.

"And they hurt. After 30 minutes my ears feel like they're being stabbed with an ice pick," Ranma said. She then turned her head and looked up in thought. "Alright. Almost as bad as being stabbed with an ice pick. Still, there has to be a better way."

"There is a better way," Ami said, walking back to the center of front of the shop. The simple design of Ami's dress draped elegantly off of her frame, displaying her curves in a most flattering way. "It's called getting your ears pierced."

"So I can let them get stabbed for real? No way. Can't you do something with some whatever energy or something to keep them there on their own?" Ranma asked.

"No way. Aetheric energy doesn't stick properly when it gets in contact with living things, and life energy's too non-directional to focus on something that small," Ami declared.

"Then what about those earrings which always appeared when I transformed into Sailor Terra? How did those work?" Ranma asked.

"Yeah, what about those? I always wondered about that, and the nail polish," Minako added. "For that matter, why don't they show up when you transform anymore?"

"What earrings?" Aquamarine asked. The current Sailor Mercury uniform did not include the jewelry or nail polish for some reason.

"Now that you mention it, that is a good point. Maybe I can come up with something after all. I'll need to think about it some more," Ami admitted after a bit of thought.

Minako recognized that giddy look on Ami's face. She had yet another promising new project to look into.

* * *

With the absence of Iolite, Minako was reduced to asking around, trying to find dance partners in between the orchestra's songs. The good news was that by now she had a lot of practice for this; given the past seven years, it was all routine by now. The bad news was that it was getting progressively harder each year to find dance partners.

The single men she talked to were always interested, assuming they were free and didn't have prior obligations with another woman for the dance in question. The problem was that the majority of men who attended the ball came with partners, and they were much harder to approach as the years went on. In the first year the men's partners had been fine, but she was definitely getting dirty looks when she approached now. Frequently the woman would clutch to her partner and firmly decline on his behalf.

The task was made no easier by the competition, even if said competition was not actually competing. It was hard for Minako to square her mental image of the tomboy, low-key, slightly anti-social Ranma with the ravishing redhead on the center of the dance floor. She scarcely believed they were the same person, despite the fact that she seen the transformation happen right before her very eyes. The dress hung on her athletic and well-endowed frame far better than it had on the dressmaker's doll back in Aquamarine's store. Add to that the confident bearing and rakish hairstyle created from an afternoon in a beauty parlor, and the result was an avant-garde image which was hard to beat.

Her partner, the normally bookish Ami, had undergone a similar transformation. Ami's simple dress and simple hairstyle had somehow combined to form a radiant image of aristocratic beauty which was as different from Ranma's look as it was possible to imagine. However, she managed to hold her own and not be overshadowed in the slightest.

There was no doubt that all of the single men present, and probably a couple of married men and some women, were rethinking their chances of coupling with Ami. Her number of secret and not-so-secret admirers had only grown as time went by, and the stunning image she presented now could only add to that. Ranma had probably gained a couple of new admirers as well, although the fact Ranma had Setsuna meant that many people didn't give any serious thought to wooing her. However, there were definitely a couple of men who were secretly interested, and probably a few more after this evening.

Minako thought she could compete with their looks, being proud of her own figure and the time and effort she had put into designing her dress and preparing for the ball. What she couldn't compete with was their antics. Ami was currently putting Ranma through her paces in what had become the annual tradition. In the present case she was leading Ranma across the floor it something vaguely reminiscent of, but still rather different to, a samba, although leading was such an inadequate verb to use. Ranma not only stuck to Ami like she was attached, she managed to make her movements look effortless as well.

Despite the fact that the two danced only with each other and weren't on the open market as such, they still managed to catch the attention of everybody. Setsuna was standing on a table in order to see over the substantial crowd which had surrounded the pair and was miming the moves that her mother was doing as best she could without a partner. With the ornate dress she had on she made for an adorable figure. If somebody put a glass dome on top of the table, she would have made for a perfect life-sized dancing globe.

"I don't know how they do it. Every time my husband tries to do with me what boss does with Ranma-san, I end up on the floor. They make it look so effortless," Spinel muttered to Minako in admiration. Ranma had just taken a dip and turned it into an ostentatious back-flip.

Minako gave a quiet laugh to herself at that comment. It was likely that Lopezite was doing things exactly right. Ami was doing her best to trip Ranma up, after all. It was just that Ranma was having none of it.

Ranma's ability to maintain her feet despite Ami's best efforts was remarkable. Ami swerved around the dance floor in a non-pattern very similar to the ones she used during sparring when trying to disengage from a close combatant to gain space to think. Minako had been on the receiving end of these unpredictable movements often enough that she could speak from personal experience on how hard it was to follow Ami when she really put her mind into it. Despite that, Ranma managed to maintain her poise, and her feet, throughout the complex maneuvering they were engaged in.

If an untrained pair, such as Spinel and Lopezite, tried to match Ami's moves, there was every reason to think they would succeed where Ami constantly failed.

"I guess the weeks of practice boss put in to this were worth it. I'm so envious of them," Spinel continued.

"You should mention that to Ami-chan. I'm sure she'll appreciate hearing how impressed you are," Minako said, not bothering to explain to Spinel exactly what Ami had actually been practicing. Instead, she wandered away in search of another partner.

She searched in vain. Everybody she found was either already spoken for or too preoccupied watching the floor show to be interested in dancing. Bereft of other things to do, and feeling a bit envious of the attention that the dancing pair were getting, Minako walked over to where the orchestra was. The acoustics were best there, and if she wanted to sing something she would need to talk to the conductor anyway.

Minako had been spending a fair bit of time practicing with Charoite, one of the premier singers in the kingdom. As much as it shamed her to admit it, she really hadn't been that good when she had first started. Since that time she'd improved considerably, and now felt like she could actually hold her own on a stage. Then again, she had thought the same thing when she had first started as well, so she tried her best to prevent hubris from taking over.

Thinking through her repertoire of songs, she settled on starting with "Bracelet of Umbria." Its grand sweeping harmony was perfect for a full orchestra. It was also a song which had been played for long enough that everybody knew it well, including the orchestra and herself, but not so long as to become stale or unpopular. The next song after that would depend very much on the audience reaction.

She had a quick chat with the conductor, who was more than happy to humor the woman who had introduced him to his now wife.

The current song came to an end, and a quick glance over at Ranma and Ami showed how they finished their finale. Ranma was draped over Ami's knee in a position which looked quite uncomfortable to hold for any sustained period of time.

Ranma got back to her feet, looked over, and then said something which caused Ami to look over as well. Minako gave a big wave to the pair, and then waited for the prelude of "Bracelet of Umbria" to come to a close before taking a deep breath.

* * *

Minako was running a touch late to Setsuna's birthday party. Her singing had been quite the hit, and several times she had been asked for an encore. Between that and the occasional dance she managed to sneak in, time had just gotten away from her. She only barely managed to notice Ami waving towards her from a door right in the middle of a song.

After that, Minako had closed up as quickly as she could and hurried over to Ranma's home for the party. Halfway there she had been forced to turn around and make a stop at her own home to grab the present she had gotten for Setsuna. As was traditional for a seven-year-old girl in Japan, Minako had procured some thousand-year candy, as best she could describe them to the confectioners. It had taken a lot of time and effort before she was finally able to convey exactly what she wanted to the chefs. Then, it had taken even more time and experimentation before they had been able to create something which had been passably close to how she remembered the long, thin, red and white candies looked and tasted.

It was actually a lot of fun trying to arrange the confections as she had been forced to eat all of the half-successful experiments in progress. She just had to. They'd just go to waste otherwise. She certainly couldn't have allowed to happen, could she?

One definite perk to her active lifestyle and regular strenuous exercise was that she could eat anything she wanted to and still keep her girlish figure.

After the candy had been successfully created, making of the crane and turtle decorated packaging was easy, not that Setsuna would need any special luck to live to a healthy old age given how Serenity was lengthening the lifespan of everybody on the moon. The only tricky thing was making sure the artist for the packaging didn't use anything which would be unsafe to have in contact with food.

By the time Minako had reached Ranma's home, the party was already in full swing. She was definitely late, but not unfashionably so. She open the door, using a calculated amount of force to get enough attention to announce that she had arrived, but not so much force as to make it obvious that that was intentional.

Ami and Serenity were sitting to either side of Setsuna. It seemed that Serenity had already arrived, making Minako feel a bit guilty that even the queen had managed to beat her to the party. Ranma sat there as well, Minako noticed a second later. Despite the fact Ranma had, disappointingly, already changed out of her formal attire into her usual white shirt and skirt, her hair was still styled in that rakish style, and the unfamiliar look had been enough to force Minako to take a second glance before she registered the red-haired woman as being Ranma.

Ranma also had a bit of a scowl on her face when she looked at Minako. It was the same look Ranma had had for the majority of the night, every time they made eye-contact. Minako was sure she'd regret it in the morning, but that wasn't to come for several more hours.

"Minako-obachan," Setsuna cheered out, running over from her seat. Apparently Minako had gotten a bit more attention than she had meant upon entering. "What did you get me? I hope it's better than Ami-obachan's present."

Minako would have felt a bit discouraged that Setsuna seemed more interested in her present than her, except she had been the same way as a child. She expected most, if not all, children acted that way. Also, the comment about Ami's gift gave her a brief feeling of smug superiority over her rival.

"Oh, and what did Ami-chan give you?" Minako asked. She kept her eyes on Setsuna, but was paying attention to Ami as best she could out of her peripheral vision.

"She just gave me some boring clothes," Setsuna said.

"It's a new kimono and sash. You should appreciate how much work Ami-chan put into making them. It's hard to make a kimono, and it's very traditional present for seven-year-old," Ranma explained. It appeared that she was appreciative of Ami's trouble and effort, even if Setsuna was not.

"I know. Thank you, Ami-obachan," Setsuna said. Her voice sounded anything but enthusiastic.

"Well, I got you something I'm sure you'll like much better," Minako said.

"What's that, Minako-obachan?" Setsuna asked.

"I got you some thousand-year candy," Minako said, pulling out the package and handing it to Setsuna.

"What's that?" Setsuna asked. Not waiting for an answer she took the gift from Minako's hand and started ripping open the packaging.

"It's also a traditional present. The candy is supposed to symbolize having a long life, along with the wrapper. You see that? A turtle and a crane. All of these represent you living a long and healthy life. Why don't you try one?" Minako suggested.

Setsuna already had a stick of candy out of its packaging and was munching on it as Minako spoke.

"This is so much better. Thanks, Minako-obachan," Setsuna said.

Minako cast a triumphant glance over to Ami.

Ami only gave a forced grin in return, which in turn almost managed to mask the real grin underneath it. Setsuna had appreciated Ami's gifts more than Minako's for the past two birthdays, and it was nice to finally get her revenge this year. Next year the competition would begin anew, but she could savor the victory until then.

The party continued for about an hour when Setsuna walked over and tugged on Ranma's sleeve. Ranma leaned down, and Setsuna said in a not-too-quiet voice, "Mother, I'm tired. Can I go to bed?"

"Yes, Setsuna-chan. You can go to bed," Ranma answered.

"Can you tell me the story of the Legendary Prince, Toma, again?" Setsuna asked.

"Of course I can," Ranma answered. She picked up her daughter, stood back up, and announced to the room at large, "Sorry, everybody. You heard the birthday girl. It's time for her favorite bedtime story."

The small crowd quickly dispersed after that, exchanging quick goodbyes to free up Ranma and Setsuna to their late evening.

Minako suppressed a yawn as she went back to her home. The party had been fun, but after the ball and everything else, she was definitely tired. She briefly daydreamed of sleeping in the next morning, but knew that that was impossible. She had responsibilities, after all. No matter how she looked at it, tomorrow was going to be a long day, and Minako was definitely going to be short on sleep.

* * *

Last Updated: December 23, 2012


	10. Chapter 22

Chapter 22:

Ranma stared at the cup in front of her.

The annual tradition.

She wasn't sure what she was more scared of: that it would still not work, or that after 20 years it finally would.

20 years.

It was so easy to say, but somehow that phrase utterly failed to capture the actual length of time it represented. Over 10,000,000 minutes could have been a more accurate, if less useful, way to describe the reality of time that had passed since she had last been male. Actually, it had been more like 11,000,000 minutes since that fateful day she, Ami, Minako, and Setsuna had stepped into that portal back in Tokyo.

Ranma's past life in Tokyo felt not unlike a dream in many ways. Concrete towers and speeding cars felt as foreign to her as crystal spires and court intrigue now felt commonplace. Her past life as a boy felt foreign as well. She remembered being male, but not really what it meant. By this point, she had spent more than half of her life as a woman, and that wasn't even counting her time as Akana.

It had been a lifetime since then, back when they had all still been children and hadn't yet learned how harsh life could sometimes be. She had been so sure that everything would turn out alright that she hadn't even bothered to say goodbye to Akane. They had been fighting about something, but Ranma honestly couldn't remember what the argument had been about. Probably some silly childhood misunderstanding over something which had felt much more important than it really was.

Ranma shook herself out of her introspection and picked up the cup. She then put it down again.

It would be so much easier to just forget about it.

Her life wasn't perfect, but it was good enough. She had an important position in society, and enjoyed the work she did. She had three people she was honored to call close friends, and several other more casual ones. She had a daughter, whom she loved dearly and who loved her back just as much.

Nobody was forcing her to do anything. It was her choice. If she wanted to, she could just forget about Jusenkyo, and all of the complications it brought with it.

Ranma shook herself again and picked up the cup a second time. In the end, even if she didn't have anything else, she had her honor. She was Ranma, pledged to be a man among men, and she would do anything reasonable to fulfill that pledge.

The condition of reasonableness was a new addition. Back when she had been an idealistic child, she would have done anything necessary. This was back before she knew exactly how complicated life could be, and before she knew how much "anything necessary" could end up costing. Some things, some people, were just too important to give up.

However, no matter how she looked at it, a simple cup of hot water did not count as being unreasonable, even if turning male would throw her life into utter confusion again. There could even be a bit of a silver lining too, if she did somehow transform this time. Given the general lack of hot water on the moon, being able to transform into a male form might prove to be an incredible asset if she could manage to keep it a secret; and if there was one thing she had learned over the years, it was how to keep a secret.

With that thought firmly in her mind, Ranma made her choice. She upended the cup over her head.

"Oww, it's hot," she exclaimed out of reflex.

"What was that?" Setsuna called out from another room.

Ranma didn't bother answering as she gave out a sigh. She honestly didn't know if it was a sigh of disappointment, a sigh of relief, or a sigh of something else entirely.

She was still toweling her hair dry when Setsuna walked into the room. Her daughter took one look at her, and then asked, "Is everything okay?"

Paradoxically, 20 years not only felt too short to capture the truth of the amount of time which had passed, it felt too long as well. It certainly felt like only a month ago they had been celebrating Setsuna's first birthday, but now she was turning 20. According to Japanese tradition, that would make her an adult. Technically it wouldn't really take effect until the second Monday in January, but nobody knew how the current calendar coincided with the Japanese one Ranma, Ami, and Minako had left behind. Ranma had settled for celebrating on Setsuna's birthday, much like for the Seven-Five-Three Festival. It was a compromise, but a fairly minor one in her opinion.

"What is it?" Setsuna asked in response to Ranma's stare.

"Oh, nothing," Ranma said, shaking herself out of her reverie. The illusory vision of the small Setsuna dissolved away in her mind's eye, replaced by the true image of the woman in front of her. She stood as tall as Ranma did, with long dark hair hanging loose the same way Ranma usually kept her own. However, her innocent, playful exuberance for life hadn't changed in any way as the years had progressed and she had matured.

"Nothing? Then what's with the towel?" Setsuna asked.

"I was just trying out the hot water again," Ranma said.

"Hot water? What hot water?" Setsuna asked.

"You remember. Jusenkyo? Magical curse? That hot water," Ranma answered. She put the towel down and started brushing her hair into the long straight hairstyle she use the majority of the time.

Ranma always tried to present a very visible, specific, identifiable look when acting in public around Serenitatis and in the palace. It made it easier to disguise herself when she needed to. A quick change of clothing to a more common and fashionable outfit, a quick twist of hair into a braid or tight bun, a quick alteration of her speech patterns, and she was almost unrecognizable to everybody who knew her or her reputation. It also helped deflect any casual inquiries trying to associate her with her various personae around the moon.

Circles within circles. Feints within feints. Hiding the unpredictable within the predictable. One of the hallmarks of Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu.

More specifically, one of the hallmarks of the Ranma School of Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu. By this point, that distinction was purely academic. The name of the Saotome School of Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu had long since disappeared from the population at large, much like the names Aino, Mizuno, and Saotome had disappeared in this world without surnames. Still, despite that, Ranma felt it important to draw the distinction between the school of martial arts she now practiced and continued to develop as time went by as compared to the school of martial arts she had begun with 20 years prior, even if nobody else would ever know the difference.

"Oh, right. That story," Setsuna said with a bit of humor in her voice. "It was funny when I was a kid, but you really don't except me to believe that anymore, do you?"

"Why not?" Ranma asked.

"Because, well, you're my mother, and you don't act like any of the boys I know either," Setsuna said.

"If you say so," Ranma said noncommittally. Then, changing the subject, she said, "So, today's the big day you're officially appointed as Sailor Pluto. Are you excited?"

"About that. Are you really sure that Pluto's a planet? I mean, its orbit's weirder than Nemesis's is, and it's a lot smaller than even Mercury," Setsuna said skeptically.

"I don't know, but Ami-chan says it is, and you know how she is," Ranma said, causing Setsuna to nod. "You do know it's not too late, right? You can still back out if you want to."

"I know. I know. Being a Sailor Senshi is difficult, and it can be a hard life. You've told me enough times before," Setsuna complained. "Isn't it enough that I have to promise to Ami-obachan practically every day that yes, if this is her distant past, and yes, if there is some unknown power found in Pluto which we haven't discovered yet, and yes, if I somehow get the power to travel in time, that no, I won't destroy causality and everything we know? Do you really need to keep going on about it as well? I'm not a child anymore. I know what I'm doing."

Ranma winced at the comparison. She hadn't spent nearly as much time with Ami as Setsuna had recently; she only really went to the lab to provide a reference point about how a link to a castle could be made. Despite the fact that Ranma's sigil wasn't actually connected to anything, it was still a third example just as valid as Ami's and Minako's. Setsuna, on the other hand, was actually working with Ami to create such a link to Charon Castle, and thus spent far more time with Ami than Ranma herself did. Still, Ranma's more limited presence was enough to know what her daughter was talking about. She had overheard enough of Ami's lectures that even she was starting to find it a bit annoying. It'd be one thing if there was any chance that Ami's paranoid worries were actually possible, but there wasn't.

"I know you're not a kid anymore, but no matter what, you're still my daughter. I just want you to know still have a choice. I'll support you, no matter what you want to do," Ranma said.

"I know. You always do," Setsuna said, and gave Ranma a quick hug and kiss. "I need to go. Ami-obachan's expecting me in about 15 minutes to do some final tests and verify everything's ready. We're still scheduled to go shopping this afternoon, right?"

"Right. I'll meet you at the dojo after your classes are done for the day," Ranma confirmed.

"Okay, I'm off," Setsuna said.

"Have a nice trip," Ranma said after her.

Once Setsuna had left, Ranma spent a few minutes hanging some birthday decorations around her home for the party planned in the evening. The day was set to be a busy one, like every birthday and anniversary ball day was, and Ranma knew if she didn't do this now then she'd never find the time to do so before the end of the day. Luckily, given her agility and aerial abilities, she was able to arrange everything in short order.

After that, Ranma did a habitual check to make sure she had her small pack of emergency supplies on her person and at the ready. She then made a more unusual check, verifying that she had remembered to pack extra smoke bombs and sticky bombs in preparation for a lesson which was less official but much more important than Setsuna's classes.

On the way out the door, Ranma took one last quick look around the room, making sure everything was just so and ready for the evening.

* * *

Ranma took a quick look down the corridor, making sure it was clear. She was using the Umisenken to mask her movements, but she knew from painful experience that that wasn't foolproof. The more careful she was, the fewer complications there would be.

She pushed open the door to the storeroom in front of her and stepped inside. The room itself wasn't that important. It could have just as easily been a classroom, a library, a greenhouse, or one of any number of generic rooms around the palace. The only thing which made the room special was that Aventurine had messaged earlier asking to meet here.

Ranma gave one last look down the corridor, and then pushed the door firmly closed behind her.

"Hey, Aventurine-kun," Ranma said in greeting once the door was shut. "I'm surprised to see you up here. Things too quiet down in Numbium?"

"I wish. The only break we ever get down there is the prelude to a storm," Aventurine said. He had aged well. He was still as spry as he had been when she had first met him years ago, but he now had a worldly wisdom visible in his eyes as well.

"I'll bet," Ranma sympathized. Numbium was rapidly gaining the reputation of being the artistic capital of the moon. It made it a fun place to visit, but also meant there was no dearth of weird cultures, counter-cultures, and counter-counter-cultures in the region. Most of them were just harmless fun. "So, what brings you up here?"

"We had a strange plague two months ago. Pretty bad. Boils, bleeding from the eyes, and in the final stages the skin literally burns itself to a crisp. About 200 dead and another 500 maimed. Strangest thing was it didn't seem to be contagious. I did some investigation and managed to find a common thread," Aventurine said.

"Let me guess. A grain shipment from Crisium?" Ranma asked.

"Right," Aventurine confirmed. "Andalusite-san mentioned that there were a few other outbreaks around the moon, and figured I should report it up the chain."

"Yeah. Thanks for letting me know," Ranma said. "I don't suppose you managed to get a sample, did you?"

"I thought I had, but it disappeared halfway through the trip here," Aventurine said, holding up a small, empty container.

"Well, thanks for trying," Ranma said. "I guess I'd better report this to Serenity-sama. Two incidents might be a fluke, but three is clearly not. I just wish we had more to tell her than there's some unknown person or group poisoning the food supply."

"If Crisium is the common thread, do you think Orthoclase-dono has anything to do with it?" Aventurine asked.

"Maybe, but I suspect he's got his hands full right now with that tariff business. If he tried to do something this big in addition to that then I'm sure Opal-chan would have noticed something, and she hasn't said a word. Besides, it doesn't add up. Why would he do this? For that matter, why would anybody do this?" Ranma asked.

"Got me," Aventurine said. "I'll bet if we knew why they were doing this then we'd know who, and if we knew who was doing this then we'd know why."

"You're probably right. Well, it sounds like a field trip to Crisium might be in order. It's been a while since Sphene-chan, spice trader extraordinaire, has visited her favorite city," Ranma said, adopting a perky voice and striking a dramatic pose. The effect was only slightly spoiled by the fact she still wore her characteristic white shirt and skirt.

Sphene had always been one of Ranma's favorite personae. Always so naive. Always so ignorant. Always asking so many silly questions. Always so trusting. Always so easy to take advantage of. Everybody just loved doing business with Sphene, especially the more unscrupulous members of society.

Ranma automatically thought through some possible cover stories for Aventurine as well. Having reliable backup on hand was always a good thing, especially for the initial visit to Crisium before she could make contact with Opal. Maybe an assistant Sphene's doting rich uncle, who always ended up having to bail her out whenever she got into trouble, hired to accompany her? Possibly he would nominally be there to protect her, but he had actually been hired to observe and mentor her in her fumbling business? It'd explain why this stranger was traveling around with the young girl. Later, he could get annoyed at her inability to make any progress and quit his position, which would explain why he was never seen again after this trip.

She looked up at Aventurine, curiosity written all over her face, and asked in a bright voice, "Are you that man my uncle paid to watch over me, mister? I know he cares about me, but really, he worries too much."

"Sorry. Not this time. I doubt I could explain to the wife why I ran off with another woman for a few months. She barely understands what I do already," Aventurine said. "Besides, I have my hands full in Numbium right now. I'm just up here to report the grain issue."

Well, so much for that idea. Verdite would be too busy showing Melanite around in the near future to do anything too involved for any substantial period of time, and if Ranma herself left then it would be utterly irresponsible to bring Tourmaline along with her. He was the closest thing she had to a deputy, and if both of them left Serenitatis at the same time it would wreck havoc on organizational cohesion. It looked like unless something came up in the next few days, it might need to be a solo operation this time.

"Really? You could have just sent a report then, you know. It'd have been a lot faster and more convenient for you," Ranma said, back to her normal voice.

"Yeah, but my sister's getting married later this week in the area. I figured since I'd be up here anyway, I might as well combine the trip, what with that sample I thought I had," Aventurine said. "Also, tonight's the night of the ball, after all."

"Of course. Well, so long as you're up here, care to join? We've got a new person joining the group, and it might be good to make your introductions. Who knows? If you sell it well, maybe in few months you'll have somebody else to help you out with your artists and anarchists," Ranma said.

"Brand new?" Aventurine asked. "Sure. I got a couple of hours before I'm supposed to meet up with the wife."

* * *

Ranma waited patiently for Melanite's coughing to come to an end. To assist this process, she used a Psi-Tech to generate a light wind which helped disperse the cloud of smoke her bombs had made earlier. It took a substantial effort on her part to make even the light breeze she was currently generating, but it had a considerable effect in clearing the much more mundanely created smoke cloud. It was also good practice for multi-tasking her psionics. She could now go for whole minutes before the inevitable headaches started.

Once the cloud had mostly dissipated, it revealed the scene of Ranma standing over a prone Melanite, Ranma's summoned Psi-Blade held ominously above his chest. She held it there for a few seconds longer before raising the sword high and slashing down quickly.

Melanite froze with a look of panic clear on his face as the blade neatly severed his head from his body; or rather, the blade would have if the weapon hadn't disappeared halfway through the stroke.

Ranma's long practice allowed her to mask the feeling of relief she got as the mental burden of maintaining both the weapon and the breeze disappeared.

No longer visibly armed, Ranma offered her hand to Melanite to help him to his feet.

Melanite stared at the hand in panic for a second, hyperventilating. It took a few seconds for him to calm down and catch his breath, at which point he stared at the hand in suspicion.

Ranma just gave a questioning tilt of her head in response.

After several more seconds, Melanite took hold of Ranma's hand. Despite clearly outweighing her, Ranma easily pulled the massive man to his feet.

"Whoa, what happened?" Melanite asked, once he had managed to get his bearings about him.

"You got beat," Verdite said, while Aventurine added, "Welcome to the club."

"Don't worry, you did pretty good. Far from the worst I've seen at any rate," Ranma reassured the man. Far from the best as well, but she didn't add that. It wouldn't do anybody any good to demoralize him.

"What'd I do wrong?" Melanite asked, his eyes still visibly spinning.

"That's a good question," Ranma said. "Verdite-chan?"

"Right when the smoke bombs hit you, you should've already been moving. Your opponent's got a visibility edge on you, knows where you are, and probably's got a plan too. If you can get somewhere clear, you can help even the odds. Nothing you can do about the plan, but the less predictable you are, the better chance you got of messing it up. You can think about going to a wall. It'll limit the ways you can get attacked from, but the loss of movement might not be worth it. Later, when you hit the ground, you should've been moving to try to regain your feet, or at least to take down Ranma-san too. She called out her attack and you just sat there. You also didn't move when Ranma-san gave you a couple of seconds break. You didn't even do anything when the killing blow came," Verdite said, answering the literal question.

Ranma nodded in agreement with Verdite's analysis before asking, "Aventurine-kun?"

"You should have held your breath once you realized there was smoke. Grab a deep breath first if you can, but don't risk it if you think you'll get anything in your lungs. Your opponent has a plan, so most likely the fight will be over or you'll be in the clear before air becomes an issue. Close your eyes too. You can't see anything anyway, and if you do get in the clear it'll help to not be tearing up. Hopefully your blind fighting is up to scratch. You might as well take advantage of the cover of the smoke to change your position. I would have crouched down. It lowers your target size and gives you better options for reacting to an attack. The key point is to listen. You should have been able to hear the rustle of Ranma's skirt before any major attack, so you can react to that. Besides that, once you were on the ground, I agree with Verdite-san," Aventurine said.

Ranma nodded in agreement to his analysis as well.

"What?" Melanite asked, confused. "You both said exactly opposite things."

"What'd you expect? They're different people after all. Verdite-chan's more of a high-agility high-mobility person, while Aventurine-kun is more of a defensive counter-attacker," Ranma said, causing both to nod.

"So what am I?" Melanite asked.

"You'll figure it out eventually," Ranma said. She was pretty sure she knew what Melanite's style was, but it wouldn't do anybody any good to just outright tell and take his choice away. Fighting styles were more descriptive than prescriptive, after all. "It's not that important either. That wasn't even the point of the exercise."

"It wasn't? Then what was it?" Melanite asked.

"It's about learning to think on your feet, and learning how to deal with unexpected situations," Ranma said. She threw a smoke bomb at Verdite's feet, who dealt with the problem by casually kicking the thing away before it managed to erupt into a cloud of smoke. "Like that."

Melanite shook his head, and dejectedly asked, "Why'd you even invite me? I'm not the best fighter in my class. I'm nothing."

"If I wanted a fighter then there are at least a dozen other people who are better than you, but that doesn't matter. Tourmaline-kun is one of the best people we have, and do you know what he does? He's a farmer. He barely knows the blade of a sword from the hilt, and if he tried to punch somebody I bet he'd break his thumb. I don't care about your fighting ability. Much more important is your character, and yours is a good one. You'll see a lot of the darker parts of the world in this job, and there won't be time to check back with the others about what to do when you're out in the field. We've got to trust your judgment. That's why you were selected based on your personality, rather than your fighting potential. Use your knowledge, your judgment, and always do what you know is right. Lives will be saved or lost based on your actions," Ranma explained.

She'd given the same speech, more or less, a couple of dozen times to the various people she'd recruited to the unnamed collection of operatives she led. Melanite's wide-eyed expression was hardly unique.

"Have you had to do anything you regretted?" Melanite finally asked.

It was a fairly common question, and one Ranma hated. It always made her reflect on her past. Did she have any regrets? There were several situations she regretting getting into. Did she regret any of the things she had chosen to do in those situations?

"No," Ranma said.

Melanite nodded solemnly, as if the wisdom of the world could be found in her words.

"If it's too much for you, you can still walk away. It's your choice, and nobody will think any less of you for it," Ranma said.

"No, you can count me in," Melanite insisted.

"Okay. Then let's try that again and see what you've learned," Ranma said.

She quickly removed her shirt and skirt, revealing both the small containers of emergency equipment she normally kept hidden up her long sleeves as well as the dark bodysuit she always wore underneath her white clothing in case some impromptu sneaking about was ever called for. She also subtly palmed some sticky bombs in addition to the smoke bombs she had used earlier as she placed her shirt and skirt off to the side. She turned to face Melanite again, and mentally preparing herself for the cognitive dissonance she would need to call out a Psi-Tech while actually performing a ki attack. It would have been easier to just do a silent attack of some sort, but she wanted to give Melanite some warning. This time.

* * *

Ranma, back in her characteristic white shirt and skirt, walked into the dojo as Setsuna's lessons were coming to an end. She entered just in time to hear one of the older students saying, "It's better than being beaten up by a nine-year-old half your size."

It always brought a warm glow to Ranma's heart to hear the indirect praise of Setsuna.

Minako was sitting off to the side, chatting with the resting students and occasionally offering up some general commentary to whichever person was coming off the floor. It was nothing that contradicted or distracted them from their official teacher. Minako was just offering some friendly advice that the recipients would be foolish to ignore.

Ami was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, Ranma-chan," Minako said in a low voice, despite having her vision directed towards the sparring Setsuna rather than the doorway. "Ami-chan said she was running a bit late and was going to meet up with us at Aquamarine-chan's."

Ranma still did a quick check around the room, especially the ceiling corners. She'd pulled that trick enough times that she didn't put it past one of her more advanced students, especially somebody with the intelligence that Ami had, to try a similar sneak attack. She hoped one of them would actually try it at some point.

A quick twist, and Setsuna was being thrown over the hip of her student. She could have broken out, but it defeated the purpose of the exercise and it would have discouraged the student. He had done everything right, and had earned the victory. He would be ready to start something new the next lesson.

"Good job, Clinohumite-kun," Setsuna said from the floor before climbing back to her feet, none the worse for the fall.

Minako turned to Ranma and asked, "Think we have time for a quick round?"

Ranma hesitated. She would have loved to have a quick spar with Minako, if nothing else to see if the blonde had picked up any new moves, but there were other things to take into account as well.

"Sorry, better not. It'd just distract from Setsuna-chan's session, and it wouldn't be fair to her or the students," Ranma said.

"That's probably true," Minako admitted.

In fact, just by being here, Ranma was being a slight distraction. Most of the students in the room were looking at her, giving her the respect and attention befitting the master of the school, rather than watching what Setsuna was teaching. Ranma was sure the audience would gain far more from listening to Setsuna, and thus indirectly learn new concepts from her, than they would gain by gawking at herself. In the past this attention might have given her a thrill, but now she found that rush of pride to be outweighed by the nuisance it caused for Setsuna and for the students' learning. It was the main reason she didn't come to the dojo very often during Setsuna's classes if she could help it.

"So what's this I hear about your date for the ball actually being in one piece this late in the day?" Ranma asked casually.

"Yes, Sugilite-kun is still walking. He'd better make it to the evening or I'm going to need to have some serious words with Peridot-chan and Topaz-kun," Minako said, naming the two guards she had assigned to watch over Sugilite until the ball started. "Really, is everybody talking about that?"

"Yes," Ranma said with a straight face. "I told Ami-chan not to worry because there are still a few hours left before the ball and anything can still happen. There's no reason to panic. Yet."

Minako growled in protest at Ranma's declaration.

Ranma was joking, but the more superstitious in the palace really were worried that if Minako actually did manage to successfully bring a date to the ball that it would be a sign of bad luck and would foretell some disaster of some kind. The guards currently watching over Sugilite had certainly been assigned due to Minako's paranoia, but they were probably good to have around in case one of the less stable members of the population actually tried to do something.

Ranma held her straight face as long as she could before she broke out in laughter at her friend's plight. She said, "Maybe this year will finally be the year. After 20 years you deserve it."

"Thanks. I think my date actually might make it this time," Minako said. She took a quick glance at Setsuna, who was busy giving some last minute pointers to Clinohumite, and then said, "Speaking of dates, I heard Setsuna-chan has starting dating a charming young man. A certain Goshenite-kun?"

Ranma turned to check Setsuna. Once she confirmed her daughter was too far away and too preoccupied to notice the gossip, she said, "I'm disappointed, Minako-chan. They started dating weeks ago. You're normally a lot more up to date than this."

"What can I say? I've been busy trying to mediate that trade dispute between Fecundatatis and Crisium. It took forever, but I think we finally got an agreement in place that both sides can live with. In fact, I only just got back this week from the official acceptance ceremony," Minako said.

"So that's all resolved, then?" Ranma asked.

"Yes, assuming Orthoclase-dono and Calcite-dono keep their promises," Minako said.

That was interesting. If a deal had been finalized, all of a sudden Orthoclase was looking noticeably more interesting to investigate. On the surface, it still didn't make any sense for him to be involved with the poisonings, but nothing about the situation made any sense either. It paid to keep an open mind in this early stage of the investigation.

Minako continued, "But you're changing the subject. What do you think of Goshenite-kun? Does he pass your muster?"

"I can't see it lasting, but if it does, he seems like a good kid. She could do worse," Ranma said. She didn't just guess that or base it on a brief meeting with the boy; she had done the painstaking research necessary to make sure. It had been annoying to do, but it had been child's play compared to the time she had infiltrated that group of death magic cultists in Imbrium.

"That he is, that he is," Minako agreed, nodding.

Ranma suspected Minako had done a very different check on the same boy than she had. Minako was almost as fond of Setsuna as she was, and it would have been easy for somebody as networked as Minako was to do a basic check of informal opinion on Setsuna's new boyfriend. It was good to know that Minako's opinion of Goshenite matched her own, more or less.

"I hope becoming Sailor Pluto won't cause any problems for Setsuna-chan's love life," Ranma said.

"They say the masquerade will kill your love life, but it's not like it'll be a big secret after Serenity-sama announces it today. I'm pretty sure she'll be fine, if not with Goshenite-kun then with somebody else who can accept her," Minako said. "To tell you the truth, I'm still surprised you didn't try to take on the mantle of Sailor Pluto yourself."

"I'm not sure I could. I mean, could you imagine being Sailor Pluto, after all your time as Sailor Venus?" Ranma asked.

"No, I don't suppose I could. It's too bad we can't make a castle on Terra," Minako said.

The idea of creating a castle for Terra had been tossed around for years, but ultimately it was all wishful thinking. It would simply be too risky, seeing how it could potentially be considered an act of aggression.

"Agreed. Maybe in a generation or two when the memories of the fighting fades away, but I doubt I'll ever be Sailor Terra again," Ranma said.

"Right. You'll just have to settle for just being the master of Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu, and the only known wielder of Psi-Techs," Minako said.

Ranma held her tongue at that.

* * *

Setsuna practically skipped into Aquamarine's shop, followed by Minako, and then Ranma.

"Welcome back," Aquamarine said as they entered. "Ami-san's not joining you today?"

"Nah, she's just running a bit late. I was actually hoping she had beaten us here," Minako said.

"Good. I need to talk to her about something, but that can wait. You dresses are all ready for your final fitting," Aquamarine said.

"Aww, can't you take up the hem just a bit more?" Setsuna asked, standing in front of the cheerful lilac dress that Aquamarine had created for her.

"I cut it as short as I dare," Aquamarine said. "Why don't you try it out first?"

"Fine," Setsuna half-protested. She carefully picked the dress up and walked to an out-of-the-way corner to change.

"You're going in that, Ranma-chan? It's so conservative. Why don't you let me pick out your dresses anymore?" Minako asked, catching sight of the green dress Ranma had designed for herself. It may not have been the most fancy dress ever, but it was very practical. It provided a great deal of mobility despite the amount of cloth it had, it would drape well no matter what strange positions Ami got her into, it hid her bodysuit and the small assortment of emergency equipment she kept on her, it was easy to put on, and it could be thrown off even more easily in an emergency.

Ranma answered, "You've seen the things I go through on the dance floor. It's impractical to wear what passes for fashion with you, Minako-chan."

Minako's idea of fashion was more than just impractical. Insofar as the dresses Minako tried to get Ranma into all the time, it was more like insane. It was interesting that Minako herself never wore anything nearly as extreme. Ranma had finally had enough of the madness nine years ago when Minako designed something which looked more like a glorified collection of knotted handkerchiefs than a dress. That was the point that Ranma had started working with Aquamarine to design her own dresses, and it had been one of the best choices she'd ever made in her life. She'd never looked back since then.

Ranma picked up the modest green dress that Minako had been teasing her about, a matching pair of shoes, and a pair of earrings. Much like Setsuna earlier, she likewise walked to an out-of-the-way corner to change.

With an ease borne of years of practice, Ranma pulled off her skirt and top and donned the dress. The long sleeves and the long hem had been designed to cover the bodysuit that she left on underneath. She could never be sure when duty would call. Certainly it would need to be something on the order of an imminent assassination attempt on Serenity to get Ranma to forsake Setsuna's birthday, but such situations weren't exactly impossible.

The dress went on with barely a hitch, its smooth, elegant lines falling in a flattering way all around her. After the dress was on, Ranma placed the earrings next to her ears and twisted them until she felt the familiar resistance which signaled that they were correctly oriented. They then obediently hovered next to her ears, looking for all the world like they were attached. She put on the matching pair of high-heel shoes, and then returned to the main area of the shop.

"How's it look?" Aquamarine asked as Ranma walked back.

"Not quite up to your usual standard. The waist needs to be taken in a bit," Ranma said, pinching the cloth to demonstrate, "and the sleeves are so plain. Think you can add a ruffle or something around here?"

Aquamarine stared closely at where Ranma was pinching, and then her arms. She slowly said, "I see what you mean. I'll see what I can do."

"See, it's fine. You can take it up a bit more, right?" Setsuna announced, giving a quick spin to show off. Possibly show off a bit too much. While Ranma didn't see anything inappropriate, the risk was definitely there, especially if Setsuna's date got inspired by her own stunts with Ami.

"A bit more? A bit more where?" Aquamarine asked incredulously.

"See? Just here at the thigh. We can sneak it up just a bit more, right?" Setsuna suggested.

"Seriously? I doubt you'll even be able to bend over without flashing somebody as it is," Aquamarine said.

"Oh, fine. Everything looks good then, thanks," Setsuna gushed out, and then went to change back to some more casual clothing.

"What about the shoes? How are they?" Aquamarine asked.

"One second. Let me check," Ranma said, and then began to move around the room.

It was almost like a kata, but Ranma's movements were less flashy while somehow managing to be more showy. She did a couple of twists, several spins, and even a flip or two over some dressmaker's dolls in the room. Aquamarine barely batted an eye despite Ranma having several close calls to smashing her windows and almost landing on a table full of works in progress. She had seen it all before.

"The shoes seem fine," Ranma said.

"Is all of that really necessary?" Minako asked from the back of the room. She was now wearing a bright orange spaghetti strap gown.

"You know Ami-chan," Ranma answered.

"You know you wouldn't have it any other way either," Ami added from the entrance of the store. A look of satisfaction covered her face.

"Oh, Ami-san, I didn't see you come in. I have your dress over there," Aquamarine said, gesturing towards a dark blue halter dress, "and I need to talk to you about those thingies you wanted me to try out, too."

Aquamarine pointed at a dressmaker's doll in a back corner of the room. Around the doll was what appeared to be a lovely black dress which had been sent through a mill and then dipped into a vat of bleach for good measure.

Ami slowly took in a breath through her teeth and shook her head. She said, "Well, that's not turned out well at all. Do you think I can drop by next week so you can show me what you did? I don't have time to look at it now, and I'll be in no shape to do anything tomorrow."

"Are you okay, Ami-chan?" Minako asked, concerned.

"Yeah. I just had to use a stimager to finish some things up last night," Ami said.

"I'm sure Jadeite-kun will just love that. He's the one who's going to have to clean up the mess, right?" Ranma said.

"I already told him a few days ago that things were getting bad at work. He understands, and he's ready to deal with it," Ami said.

"I swear, your husband spoils you," Minako said.

"I know," Ami said with a smile.

The marriage between the handsome shopkeeper and Ami had been long in coming. Minako had been the first to predict it, but by the end, it had been so obvious that even Setsuna had been asking Ami when she was going to finally marry Jadeite. Their seven-year anniversary was coming up in two months. They made it all seem so effortless. Ranma really felt happy for her friend, although she may have felt the smallest bit of envy as well.

Ranma had dabbled with the idea of finding a husband herself when Ami had announced her engagement to Jadeite, and again when Ami had actually married him. However, the pragmatic realities of the unpredictable schedule, the subterfuge, and the danger of her work ensured she didn't pursue that idea any further than an idle thought. Maybe at some point in the future she might reconsider, but until then she had made her choice. Besides, unlike Minako, she had Setsuna to help drive away the pangs of loneliness.

"Still, bedridden for a day, sleeping. Did you really need to do something that extreme?" Minako asked.

"What else was I supposed to do? Tell Serenity-sama, 'Some problems with the terraforming of Venus pushed everything else back, so, even though you're making the big announcement, I don't have the henshin rod ready, sorry?'" Ami asked in response. "That reminds me. Setsuna-chan?"

"Yes, I still remember my promise," Setsuna said in an exasperated voice. "You don't have to ask me every time we meet."

"Relax, Ami-chan. The way you keep going on about it, you make it sound like she's Sailor Saturn about to bring the Silence," Minako said.

"If we are in a temporal causal loop, it could be more dangerous than any Silence," Ami said. "I just don't want to take any chances."

"Okay, but really, how many times have you had Setsuna-chan make that exact same promise?" Minako asked.

"Only twice today. So far," Setsuna supplied.

"Do you really think that having her promise one more time will make that big a difference? For that matter, it's not like we're even in a temporary whatever circle thingy. See? Watch this." She turned to Setsuna and said, "Setsuna-chan, in the future Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus get attacked by Sailor Pluto the first time they meet when both of them jump to the future of Crystal Tokyo. Promise me you'll make all of your successors promise to not do that, okay?"

Ami took a sharp breath, but before she could say anything, Setsuna said, "Okay, Minako-obachan."

"No, I really mean it, Setsuna-chan," Minako said.

"I know. I promise," Setsuna said.

Minako paused a couple of dramatic seconds, and then said, "See? The world hasn't ended."

"Okay, fine, you made your point," Ami said. "Just... be careful, Setsuna-chan."

"I will," Setsuna said with a sigh.

Ami picked up her dress and walked to the back of the shop. As she did so, Ranma could hear her mutter to herself, "I bet Cassandra never had to deal with anybody like Minako-chan."

"Thanks, Minako-obachan," Setsuna said.

"What was that all about? Is your daughter in some kind of trouble?" Aquamarine asked Ranma as she approached, a crystal sphere held in her hand.

Ranma shook her head, and said, "It's nothing important. Just some ancient history that doesn't really matter. Don't worry about it."

"I see," Aquamarine said. "Anyway, let me take a look at your waist and see what I can do about your sleeves."

Ranma held still while Aquamarine pinched the cloth around her waist while occasionally poking the dress with her crystal orb.

* * *

Martial arts ballroom dancing.

If it didn't formally exist, it really should have.

It might have been the least practiced school of martial arts ever created, with only two known practitioners who both only used their skills once a year.

Despite that, it was also one of the most spectated ones.

A crowd had gathered around Ranma and Ami, but neither partner paid it any attention. A crowd gathered around every year, albeit at a healthy distance back ever since that one time Ranma had used one of the spectators as a makeshift springboard. The momentary look of surprise on Ami's face had been worth it. Fast tempo, slow tempo, experimental variable, it didn't matter. Ranma and Ami always provided quite the show for the onlookers.

The orchestra struck up another song and Ranma waited patiently for Ami to get the beat. In both martial arts as well as in dancing, Ranma was perfectly content to let the other person make the first move and rely on her superior skills to handle whatever her opponent tried to pull.

And move Ami did.

They moved with a speed and a comfort of two sparring opponents more familiar with each other's quirks and idiosyncrasies than the closest of lovers. While no longer daily, Ranma still sparred with Ami frequently enough, and she had partnered with her on the dance floor since the beginning of their time on the moon.

They flowed forwards and backwards, almost following the pattern of a kata, if such a term could be applied to their partnered activity which was being performed in such an ad hoc manner. Once again, Ranma found herself lost in the simple joy of responding to a partner she trusted without having to think about anything in particular. She simply allowed herself to become lost in the moment, naturally following Ami's lead.

Regardless of the name used to describe what they were doing, Ranma flowed into the patterns Ami led her through almost on auto-pilot, leaving more than enough spare attention to ask, "I'm surprised I don't see Jadeite-kun anywhere. You still haven't managed to convince him to come to one of these balls yet?"

"He never was one for dancing. Besides, I'd hate to disappoint the crowd," Ami said, gesturing in a motion around her which turned into a wide sweep which showed off Ranma's now twirling body. "It's just one night, and we have the rest of the year together anyway. It's probably safer this way, too. Husband or not, if he got to be the first man to dance with one of us at one of these balls, I expect a throng of envious men would find a way to put him in the hospital."

"So have you two decided on when you'll be having children yet?" Ranma asked casually.

A slight stumble, which Ranma only noticed due to her physical contact and because she was looking for it, showed that she had hit a mark.

"Maybe. We're just taking thing one day at a time," Ami said, a light blush adorning her face. "Kind of like how Setsuna-chan and Goshenite-kun are, I imagine."

If she wanted to distract Ranma she'd have to do better. Without batting an eye, Ranma repeated what she had told Minako earlier, saying, "They only really started dating a few weeks ago, and I doubt anything will come of it, but he's a good kid and she could do far worse."

Ranma took a quick glance at Setsuna with her date. She was currently talking animatedly while Goshenite was quickly shaking his head in response.

While Ranma's head was turned, Ami grabbed her waist and tossed her spinning through the air.

Ranma had expected this, or possibly a high lean which would have theoretically pushed Ranma off-balance, but as she spun through the air, a quick spotting of Ami's face told her that there was more planned than the not-quite-surprise not-quite-attack.

She thought she was prepared for anything her partner might try as she flew up and then down towards Ami, who wasn't preparing to catch her. Which made sense because Ranma wasn't falling. She hung, suspended in the air, upside down.

Confusion reigned for a fraction of a second while she got her bearings. Ami's look of challenge suggested that she was the source of it, whatever it was, but what was it? Magic? Despite the fact that Ami wasn't in her Sailor Senshi uniform?

Ranma seized as much initiative as she could, grabbing the hem of her dress which was gently drifting down and twisting it around her. This helped preserve her modesty and nicely set her up for what she planned to do next.

She focused her mind to create an Aura Shield while simultaneously spinning her arms around. The Aura Shield hit something, as the shock of the backlash gave her a major headache. More obvious to the spectators, and more impressively, there was a spectacular flash of light and Ranma felt herself flying up through the air again.

Compensating for her established twisting, Ranma flipped as best she could, falling in Ami's general direction and challenging her partner to catch her.

Years of these unchoreographed presentations left no doubt in her mind that Ami would be able to catch her, despite the almost out-of-control approach vector she was on, but she spotted the ground and kept her orientation just in case she had to check her fall on her own.

It proved unnecessary as Ami deftly caught Ranma in the crook of her arm and guided Ranma back to her feet. Despite the pounding in her head, Ranma was sure that the maniacal grin on Ami's face was mirrored on her own.

Not letting Ami see how much her counter had taken out of her, Ranma asked as casually as she could, "So what's this I hear about Minako-chan not singing this year?"

"It shocked me too, given how much she always wanted to be a pop idol, but yes, she's not taking the stage this year. She said she didn't care anymore," Ami said.

"That's a bit disappointing. Her voice's gotten really good," Ranma said.

"Agreed. Seeing how she actually managed to get a date to come with her for once I guess she's more interested in spending as much time as possible with him," Ami said. "I'll just be glad when the day's over. People keep asking me if I'm sure there's no asteroid about to hit us or something."

"As if it really worked that way. If bad luck's meant to happen then it happens. It doesn't have anything to do with some sign like Minako-chan finally managing to get a date to the ball," Ranma said. She spoke from experience. She'd long since lost count of the number of ridiculous incidents of misfortune which had befallen her over the years.

"I know that, and you know that, but that doesn't stop all the questions," Ami agreed. "Still, I will admit to being more than a bit surprised that Sugilite-san actually managed to make it here in one piece. I wonder how he did it."

"It was easy. Minako-chan just had some guards posted around him all day for the past week," Ranma explained.

"Seriously?" Ami asked.

"Seriously," Ranma answered.

"We joked about it all these years. I guess she really ended up needing to do it," Ami said. "Ready for the big finale?"

Without waiting for Ranma to answer she threw Ranma into the air, which Ranma turned into a somersault. Ranma felt herself being suspended in midair again, but, unlike the first time, she recognized the feeling and knew how to deal with it. She generated an Aura Shield around her, which bounced her up in the air with a brilliant flash. This was the big finale?

The unasked question was answered as she was re-suspended at the same level again on the descent. She knew she would regret this, but based on the music, Ami wouldn't have time to juggle her too many times before she would be allowed to land. Ranma performed a flashy cartwheel-like maneuver as she bounced herself up a second time, not incidentally compounding her headache dramatically.

A third bounce, and it felt like her head had literally exploded. Ranma sincerely hoped it was the last one because she didn't think she could summon her Aura Shield a fourth time. She took a gamble and did a pirouette in the air, allowing herself to fall vertically. She was too blinded by the pain to really do anything else and just trusted that Ami would be able to handle her. Despite everything, she was sure she presented a graceful figure in control of herself, and appearances were half the battle in a fight. More than half the battle in a dance like this one.

The next thing she knew, Ami's arms had caught her at the waist and she was gently being lowered to the ground. A picture perfect ending as the final notes faded into the distance.

A fierce round of applause surrounded the pair.

The bright splotches in Ranma's eyes had mostly dimmed, and color was already starting to come back into her vision when Ami let her go. The light-headed dizziness had mostly faded as well, allowing Ranma to regain her footing without assistance. The blinding headache from over-usage of psionics was also disappearing, albeit at a much slower rate than the first time she had countered Ami's trick just that single time.

Ranma knew the audience had been fooled by her acting, but wondered if Ami had been taken in as well. She couldn't just ask, as that would undoubtedly tip her hand. Looking at Ami revealed nothing of her thought processes, hidden as they were behind the gleeful grin on her face.

Regardless, Ranma thought she would need to figure out some better counter to that trick. She could brute force her way out of it if she needed to, but there had to be a better way that didn't leave her feeling like her brain was suddenly two sizes too big for her skull.

Ami's grin was interrupted by a yawn which she valiantly tried to suppress. "Sorry, but I think I'd better end it here," Ami apologized.

"The stimager?" Ranma asked.

"I think so," Ami yawned again. "I think I'm going to crash soon, and I'd hate for it to end with you in the middle of the air."

"That's a shame. I guess we can give the dance floor back to everybody else then," Ranma said. She walked with Ami back to the side of the room. The crowd parted to let the two stars of the evening through.

"That's disappointing. I was hoping to have another hour or two. I wanted to at least give my regards to Setsuna-chan at the party before having to go," Ami said.

"I'm sure she'll understand. She knows the work you've been putting in for the terraforming of Venus and the Sailor Pluto project," Ranma said.

Behind them, rather than the floor filling with numerous new couples, the center of the room stayed empty and the orchestra stayed silent. Instead Serenity, in her long flowing elegant white gown, walked to the front of the room. Apparently it was time for the big announcement.

With a voice that could be heard across the entire room, Serenity announced, "Thank you all for coming. As you know, this ball celebrates the 20th anniversary of the migration to the moon and the founding of the Moon Kingdom."

There was a smattering of applause at the declaration of fact, but it was only sporadic. It was very unusual for Serenity to make a statement at the ball itself, and people weren't quite sure how to react.

"We have accomplished much in these past 20 years, but this kingdom is still young and fragile. Dangers still abound, both abroad and within. The guards, under the skilled leadership of Minako-dono," Serenity gave a subtle gesture towards the blonde, who nodded back at the compliment, "do much to protect us, as do many lesser-known agents."

Ranma didn't expect, nor did she receive, any commendation here. It was much easier for her to work in the shadows than under the spotlight of fame and recognition.

"However, there are times when even they are not enough, when the kingdom needs a representative abroad or a champion at home. Thus far we have two such people. Ami-dono, who bears the mantle of Sailor Mercury, and Minako-dono, who bears the mantle of Sailor Venus. Today, I am adding to their ranks," Serenity announced.

A loud gasp went up through the audience. The creation of a new Sailor Senshi was certainly noteworthy, and outside of a select few, the creation of a third one had been kept a secret until now. The effect was only slightly spoiled by Ami's yawning again.

"I know you're bored, Ami-chan, but please, try to be respectful," Minako jokingly whispered from beside her.

Ranma felt sorry for Ami. It seemed Minako would have something new to tease her friend about in the coming years. That Ami really did have a valid excuse to be falling asleep at such a momentous time in both the Moon Kingdom's history as well as in Setsuna's life would only make the teasing that much worse.

"Setsuna-dono, please come forward," Serenity said.

Setsuna stepped forward from the crowd and into the large open space in front of Serenity. She was the only thing moving in the entire room, and the focus of the whole crowd was on the young woman as she approached Serenity.

"Wow, I'm fading fast. I might need your help to even get home," Ami quietly whispered to Ranma.

"Sure thing," Ranma whispered back. "I'll make sure Jadeite-kun gets you in one piece."

"Setsuna-dono. Your skill, your compassion, your loyalty, and your character are all beyond question and reproach. Will you accept the mantle of Sailor Pluto; to be our shield and our sword; to be our guide and our guardian; to act as an inspiration for us to strive towards in our brightest times and to act as a beacon of hope in our darkest?"

Setsuna opened her mouth and said in a voice which managed to fill the silent room despite its modest volume, "I accept."

"Kneel, Setsuna-dono," Serenity said.

As her daughter knelt, Ranma idly thought to herself that it was a good thing she had decided against trimming any more off the hem of her dress. It was a close enough call as it was.

"Then let all here bear witness. I hereby declare you Sailor Pluto, protector of the realm and all within it," Serenity declared.

The eyes of the entire room watched as Serenity handed Setsuna the small purple rod which served as the newly-created mechanism to link her to Charon Castle. As she took the rod, the bright sigil of Pluto appeared on Setsuna's forehead, marking the link she now had to the source of power on the Pluto so far away.

"Call on your powers, so we might see our new champion," Serenity said.

Setsuna nodded, stood, raised her henshin rod high, and shouted, "Pluto Crystal Power, Make-up!"

Her figure disappeared in a bright, whirlwind of illumination. The light encircled Setsuna, growing from the ground upward in a pillar of luminescence. When beam faded, the figure of Sailor Pluto appeared, with its black skirt, black ribbon, and long black boots.

Everybody present burst into wild applause at the display.

Not a single person noticed that Ranma, Ami, and Minako had vanished.

* * *

Last Updated: December 24, 2012


	11. Chapter 23

Chapter 23:

A great deal of growing up had happened over the past month. Some of it had been positive. More of it had been negative. All of it had been necessary. The death of half of the Sailor Senshi had seen to that.

Up until that point, everything had had the semblance of a game. A dramatic, noble, challenging, and terrifying game, but a game nonetheless. If everybody did their best, and if everybody worked together, then they would necessarily succeed. If they failed to, such as that time Mamoru had been lost under Beryl's control and that time Chibi-Usa had been replaced by Black Lady, they would be able to regroup and try again. A second chance. An extra life. They were destined to triumph. Eventually. It was like that Sailor V arcade game which hid the entrance to the control room.

Sailor V. Sailor Venus. Another reminder of what they had lost that day.

In the face of these circumstances, everybody had changed.

Michiru, for example, was much more quiet and introspective than before that day. She also seemed far less concerned about her Jusenkyo curse. Mamoru could only speculate that with the specter of death casting its shadow over everything, the trials of turning male had been put into a very different perspective. Either that, or the trauma of losing Setsuna and the others had numbed her to all other emotions. It was hard for Mamoru to say for certain, being on the outside of her family, as it were. However, one thing Mamoru was sure of was that these recent events had brought Michiru even closer to Haruka, with Michiru depending on Haruka's strength more than ever.

Unlike Michiru, who obviously showed her grief whenever Mamoru saw her, Haruka was much more stoic. She tried to act as the pillar of support for her family, especially now that one of the three cornerstones of Hotaru's life had vanished. Despite that, it was obvious to Mamoru that Haruka had been deeply struck by the loss of Setsuna; she just showed it in different ways. Where Michiru was quiet, Haruka was boisterous. Where Michiru was emotionally open, Haruka was emotionally guarded. Haruka was also slowly moving away from primarily being a playmate of Hotaru's into being more of an educator and disciplinarian, filling much of the gap that Setsuna had left behind.

Hotaru herself seemed to be the least directly affected in their immediate family by the loss of Setsuna and the others. She mourned the loss of one of her adoptive mothers, but didn't seem to be as shocked or as hurt as the other two members of her family were. The one time Mamoru had asked her what she was feeling, the Senshi of Silence's face took on a chilling expression as she said that eventually everybody had to travel through the valley of the dead. Hotaru's expression had disappeared and she had walked away before Mamoru had managed to gather his wits enough to ask what that meant, and he had never managed to find the nerve or the opportunity to ask again. However, that Hotaru seemed to be mostly unaffected wasn't to say that she was completely unaffected, and it didn't stop her from spending increasing amounts of time with her reincarnated sister.

How Akane was taking things was hard for Mamoru to say. When Ranma had disappeared, Mamoru's most direct link to the wife of his reincarnated empathic sibling had disappeared as well. The only information he had of Akane was through the filter of others: from Akane to Hotaru, from Hotaru to Haruka and Michiru, and eventually from Haruka and Michiru to himself. For example, Mamoru didn't even know for certain if Akane had told her or Ranma's family of his death yet. The main things he understood were that Akane was spending more and more time with Hotaru, and that Akane blamed herself for pressuring Ranma into being a Sailor Senshi which had led to his eventual death. It was only a tenuous connection of blame, and everybody else knew that Ranma had known the risks he was taking before he had entered that portal, but none of that mattered to the distraught Akane. She, much like everybody else, including Mamoru himself, wasn't exactly in the most rational state of mind.

Rei seemed to be the person second least affected by the tragedy, only being outdone by Hotaru. She found some measure of solace in her training as a shrine maiden. However, this also meant that the others looked to her for advice when she had no answers to give. Why had this happened? Where had they gone? What would happen now? These material questions were outside of the spiritual framing of the world Rei experienced. She did what she could, but Rei was unable to grant to the others the limited comfort she herself had.

In addition to the emotional growing up she had been forced into, Makoto's life had changed in a material way as well. With the loss of Minako, the pragmatic question of what to do about Artemis had arisen. As much as he would have liked to, moving in with Luna and Usagi was an impossibility. There was no telling how Usagi's family would react to her bringing home a second cat, and that was assuming Usagi would even be able to handle Artemis at the moment, which she wasn't. After much deliberation, it was eventually decided that the best option for now would be for Artemis to move in with Makoto. She didn't have any family so there wouldn't be any problematic questions, and Makoto desperately needed some company in these trying times.

Artemis, on the other hand, was far more affected than any of the girls. He had known Minako long before Sailor Moon had awoken, and the loss of the protege and companion he had had for three years struck him deeply. Rather than sink into quiet sorrow, though, the normally lazy cat went the other way. The slightly irresponsible Artemis was gone. In fact, he had been the one to suggest moving in with Makoto, instead of with Luna and Usagi. He now tried his best to stay engaged and helpful. That there was nothing to actually do didn't matter. If nothing else, his efforts at staying active was at least partly helping Makoto get over her own depression, much like Makoto's melancholic lethargy was providing Artemis with something to do to distract himself.

Mamoru wasn't really in an objective position to judge how he felt, but he placed himself somewhere in the less-affected half of the group. He liked Ami, Minako, and Setsuna well enough, but he had never been as close to them, or any of the other Sailor Senshi, as he was to Usagi. He did regret losing the opportunity to get to know his reincarnated empathic sibling, but given how bad things had been with Ranma before the disappearance, it wasn't like they had any friendship which he was now missing. It would have been interesting to see if their relationship could have thawed over time, but that was something which would now never be known.

By far, the person most affected by events was Usagi. The loss of her friends, especially Ami, who had been the first Sailor Senshi to join her, combined with the belief that she had pressured Ranma to join them, whether that was the truth or not, ate away at the previously vivacious girl. The pernicious guilt was festering in a way which was certainly not healthy. She kept saying that if she had said something differently, done something differently, she could have stopped this tragedy. She should have made them wait until they had learned more about the portal. She should have gone with them. She should have done something. Anything.

Nobody blamed Usagi for their loss except herself.

Rei, Makoto, Michiru, Haruka, Hotaru, Mamoru himself, Luna, Artemis, and now Akane all knew of the danger inherent in being a Sailor Senshi or supporting them. It was a danger they all willingly accepted: for their princess, for Crystal Tokyo, and for the dream that the future could be better than the present.

The only question was how to get Usagi to understand that.

The day the portal had closed had been an emotional roller coaster. They had been so preoccupied with the invading demons that they hadn't even noticed when the portal had closed. At first they had managed to keep up, but as demons started appearing at a faster rate they had been progressively overwhelmed. Suddenly, the last demon had been destroyed, and they noticed the warehouse was clear. It was only then that they realized the portal was gone.

The cheer of relief and exultation quickly turned to one of worry when Rei pointed out that none of the Sailor Senshi who had left had actually returned. Thereafter, a quick search around the room turned into a thorough one, and then a panicked one around the building and the surrounding grounds. None of their searching or calling out revealed anything.

In desperation, Mamoru had tried to use his trick with his Psi-Techs to locate Ranma. He had promised to not do it anymore, but this was an emergency. He'd apologize later. When he had tried, though, Mamoru had felt absolutely nothing from his connection to his empathic sibling. That was when the first touches of despair had started creeping in. Despite this, they had searched for hours before they had given up.

Usagi had wanted to tell Ami's mother everything right then and there. Ami was gone. Her daughter was a genuine hero, who had sacrificed herself keeping them all safe. Ami's mother deserved to know the truth, and Ami deserved the recognition of her selfless sacrifice.

It had taken a great deal of convincing from everybody to persuade Usagi of the foolishness of revealing the fact that Ami, and by extension all of them, were Sailor Senshi.

Ami's mother had called the next day, asking if Usagi knew where her daughter was, and Usagi had done what she had needed to do. She lied. No, she hadn't seen Ami recently. Was something wrong? Of course she would keep an eye out and let her know if she saw anything.

Usagi had then cried on Mamoru's shoulder for hours. She had done a lot of growing up in that one moment.

They had returned to the warehouse later that day, along with Akane and the others, in civilian outfits to conduct another search with the benefit of daylight. Even if Ranma was absent, and Mamoru was absolutely convinced that he was, there was still the chance that all, or even one, of the others had returned. However, their more thorough search revealed nothing.

The long solar eclipse that day, which Mamoru would later find out was the longest one in the millennium, was the perfect backdrop for how they all felt.

Undeterred, they went back to check every day that week, and conducted an equally thorough search each time. Each search came up with nothing. Rei's fire readings and Michiru's Deep Aqua Mirror provided no assistance either. If Ami or Setsuna had been around they might have been able to use the control room to glean more information about what had happened or what could be done, but the limited knowledge Luna and Artemis had of the system failed to yield any meaningful information.

After a week of searching, even Usagi had been forced to give up and admit that the four of them were just gone. That was when Usagi's depression had really hit.

Luna, Makoto, and Rei tried to help comfort Usagi whenever and however they could, but ultimately it fell to Mamoru, as Usagi's boyfriend and future husband, to bear the brunt of the burden. It was a burden he was more than willing to shoulder. He went out of his way to spend as much time as possible with Usagi, even though it meant that both his grades and his wallet were suffering as a result. This was far more important.

The circus was one of the more innovative ideas he had had. At some point, a traveling circus had arrived, and the show was the talk of the town. Mamoru had taken Usagi to it one day. The performance had been very good, especially the four stars of the show. Tightrope walking. Ball balancing. Animal tricks. Trapeze. The four girls did it all with such aplomb. The diversion hadn't been enough to permanently lift the gloom which had latched onto his girlfriend, but it had been partially successful at being playful distraction for the day.

However, despite the proficiency of the four young stars of the show, Mamoru couldn't shake the feeling that it didn't quite fit in correctly and that something was a bit off. Maybe if it had been a few weeks prior, it would have been different. They could have gone there as a family, back before Chibi-Usa had returned to the future. Back before Ami, Minako, Setsuna, and Ranma had died. Back when things had been normal. Back before they had all been forced to grow up. But those days, like Chibi-Usa, like the others, were long gone.

The circus had left town two weeks later. They had not returned to see it a second time.

Mamoru instead spent his time trying to cheer Usagi up with more common activities: going on walks, random presents, romantic dinners.

It was hard to tell how much of an effect his efforts were having. In the past two weeks it seemed like Usagi had improved somewhat. She was no longer always on the verge of tears, and she had stopped calling him on the phone and then just staying silent while listening to his voice. However, she was still far from the energetic, vivacious young girl that she had been just one month ago.

Case in point: the dinner they were having in an upscale restaurant. The Usagi from before the tragedy would have barely been able to sit still for a minute without whining about her latest test score, or enthusing about some new bauble she wanted to buy, or talking about one of any number of inconsequential topics. In contrast, the Usagi in actually front of Mamoru had a somber look on her face and was eating in silence. Truth be told, he would have been hesitant to even bring the Usagi from before to a place like this for fear that her overeager nature would cause some scene of some sort. Now, nothing would have warmed his heart more than if she did have some sort of childish outburst.

Usagi had improved, but there was still a long way to go.

Mamoru was abruptly distracted from his silent inspection of his girlfriend by a familiar feeling. It came on suddenly and strongly, like the opening of a window in a pitch black room which let in a brilliant afternoon sun. It felt distinctly different than he remembered. Obviously it was more defined than he remembered, but it contained many other subtle yet unmistakable differences. Despite that, he was absolutely sure what it was.

"He's back," Mamoru said out loud, wonder filling his voice.

"What?" Usagi asked, breaking her silence.

"He's back," Mamoru said, more confidently. "Saotome-san's back!"

"What?" Usagi shouted out, getting the attention of everybody in the restaurant. Her gloomy look of despair had instantly changed to one of hope and promise. The look suited her. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. He just showed up out of nowhere, over there," Mamoru said, pointing. Everybody was openly staring at him and Usagi. He didn't care.

"What are we waiting for? He might be in trouble!" Usagi shouted. She jumped to her feet and ran out of the restaurant, also unmindful of any scene she might be causing.

Mamoru followed, quickly but in a less frenetic way. Ranma was definitely troubled by something, but he was not in any immediate danger. Usagi would be back soon enough too, as soon as she realized that she had no idea where Ranma actually was. Even so, he was just as excited as Usagi was, if maybe a bit more composed about it.

On the way to the exit of the restaurant, he pulled out his wallet, intercepted the waiter carrying their desserts to their just evacuated table, and handed over a small stack of bills to pay for the meal.

By the time he reached the front door, Usagi was now running back up the street towards him. She panted out, "Which way did you say he was?"

"Come on, Usako. We can take my car," Mamoru replied, wondering how he would manage to keep himself from speeding once he was in it.

* * *

"What the..." Minako asked at the abrupt change of scenery. She took a quick glance around.

From the glamorous and spacious palace ballroom, Minako suddenly found herself in a small room with only one door and no windows. Ranma and Ami were standing just behind her. The single opening of the room would make it easy to defend, but that applied both for them as well as against them if they had to try to break out.

Minako swore under her breath about having left her sword at home for the ball as she took a defensive position. She didn't feel in any immediate danger, but as reliable as her intuition was, it wasn't perfect. Behind her, Minako heard Ranma move and assumed that she had taken a position similar to the one Minako herself had. That was until she heard another noise she couldn't place. She chanced another quick look behind her.

Ami had collapsed, and Ranma had caught her.

Minako swore under her breath again and modified her position to better cover her two friends from any threat which might come from the door.

"I used to think that nothing could be sadder than coming home and seeing all those birthday decorations but knowing you were gone," a woman said. The voice was definitely Setsuna's, but it was very different than the voice of the birthday girl they had just seen accepting the mantle of Sailor Pluto. It carried a more somber, more experienced timbre to it which was ineffable yet unmistakable. "Now it's only the second worst day of my life."

That the source of the voice was Setsuna was confirmed moments later when she stepped into the doorway, carrying three bags. However, much like her voice, her appearance was subtly different as well. An obvious difference was the dirty and torn clothing she had on, but that wasn't the most stark difference. Her posture and comportment carried a weight of experience and weariness the 20-year-old Setsuna never had, and the resigned look on her face would have been completely alien on the bubbly young woman they had been watching seconds ago.

"Setsuna-chan? What's going on here?" Ranma asked.

"What just happened is the completion of a bootstrap paradox that I, or rather my predecessor, set up," Setsuna said. She then handed over two of the bags. "Here. Why don't you change while I try to answer any questions you have."

Minako took the bag Setsuna offered to her, while Ranma did the same, and Setsuna approached the comatose Ami with the third one. Minako pulled her bag open and revealed its contents: a shirt and skirt, in just as bad a condition as the clothing Setsuna was wearing, and a jar containing some grayish-brown dirt and dust. The clothing looked vaguely familiar for some reason. After thinking about it for several seconds, Minako was able to figure out why. It was identical, excepting the damage, to the outfit she kept in her closet but never wore as a lingering connection to her home back in Tokyo.

"What is this?" Minako asked.

Setsuna, who was already undoing the straps of the dress Ami was wearing, said, "I'll be happy to explain as much as I can, but you really should keep changing. I expect Mamoru-san, along with whomever else, is probably heading this way as we speak."

Ranma gave a confirming nod and removed her dress with remarkable alacrity, revealing the dark bodysuit she wore underneath. Minako followed suit, doffing her own gown as quickly as she could, albeit at a much slower pace than Ranma had.

"We searched for you for a long time after my birthday. Everybody else gave up after a week or two. Serenity-sama kept looking for a year before she unveiled a monument to you three at the 21st anniversary ball. She said that you three had been travelers and that it must have been time for you to return home. Jadeite-san finally relented after 50 years. I never stopped looking," Setsuna said. "Imagine my surprise when I found out that Serenity-sama had been right, and in fact I had been the cause of your disappearance."

"But what happened?" Ranma asked.

"Before I explain that, I suppose I should tell you that you three were in the past, back at the founding of the original Moon Kingdom," Setsuna said.

Minako stopped changing and turned to Setsuna in surprise. She asked, "Are you telling me that Ami-chan was actually right?"

"She was," Setsuna confirmed.

"But what about the Battle of Toga Falls?" Ranma asked.

"It never happened," Setsuna said. "It's no more true than the myth that Serenity-sama was the goddess Selene, and that she created the people of the Moon Kingdom from the heart Moon itself."

"What?" Ranma asked, stopping her changing in shock.

"In fact, that's what finally convinced me that Ami-chan had actually been right, and that you three really were from the future. Serenity-sama died thinking that Ami-chan was just odd and confused. It was only when we established normal relations with the Terra Kingdom some 350 years after you disappeared and I started hearing about the Skirmish of Toga Falls that I really started to change my mind," Setsuna said.

"If that's true, then how did the Terra Kingdom begin for real?" Ranma asked slowly. She had finished removing her bodysuit and was in the process of donning the red shirt and black pants, both in as poor a condition as Minako's and Setsuna's own clothing, contained within her bag. Minako noticed and pointed to Ranma's earrings, which she quickly pulled off as well

"You were there. You know as much as I do. More than I do, probably. By the time we had established normal relations with the Terra Kingdom, it had been so long that I found their official history to be rather questionable. You should have heard the horrible things they were already saying about Serenity-sama by then. Seeing how much all the stories I've heard changed as the years went by, I'm even less trusting of the official history now than before. My best guess is that it wasn't anything too special. The Confederacy prospered under Endymion's rule, with the Greater Domains no longer there to fight over resources. Slowly, its neighbors saw its prosperity and wanted to join. It wouldn't have been without its problems, of course, but the same could be said for the Moon Kingdom, as you well know," Setsuna said.

"I see," Ranma said. She looked poleaxed by Setsuna's revelation.

"I will say that it's been fascinating watching the founding myths change and grow, with each generation adding a bit more. From a negotiation to a skirmish to an epic battle. From creating a castle to creating a kingdom to creating a people. Even the myths about me have evolved; from my father being a demon to my father being a secretive noble to my father being Chronos, the God of Time. I guess that last one is kind of true, in a sense," Setsuna said.

"Then why didn't you ever tell anybody the truth of what really happened?" Ranma asked.

Minako had finished changing her clothing and was now in the process of smearing dirt over herself. Ranma wasn't too far behind her, and Setsuna had mostly finished changing Ami by this point as well.

"What was I supposed to do? Sailor Pluto didn't even officially exist by that point of time, the position nominally becoming a state secret shortly after the discovery of the Gates of Time, and who would have believed plain, ordinary Setsuna?" Setsuna asked.

"It's much more romantic this way too," Minako said. She paused, and then said, "Wait a second. If you're that same Setsuna-chan, then that means you broke your promise to me. Why'd you do it?"

Age had worn away the fear, and thus most of the emotional impact, of that strange attack Sailor Pluto had conducted and then more strangely abandoned all those years ago. More than anything, Minako was disappointed that the promise that Setsuna had made only hours, or millenniums, earlier had been betrayed.

"No I haven't. Believe me, I definitely remember the last promise I ever made to you on that wretched day, and I've definitely made every one of my successors promise to not attack you," Setsuna said, with a wry smile. "As for why the attack, by telling me about it, especially in such a memorable way, you forced my hand. It's the same reason I avoid looking into the future myself as much as possible. When Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus approach the Gates of Time in the 30th century, Sailor Pluto will be there to attack them. By the way, if you do know anything else about my future that you haven't told me, please don't. I really don't want to know about it."

"None of that explains why we ended up back in the Moon Kingdom's founding in the first place," Ranma said.

"The literal answer to that question is easy. I sent you. Back when that castle in that parallel timeline exploded, I was able to harness the flood of energy it released to pull the three of you out of that spacetime continuum and translocate you to this continuum in the ancient past. If you want to talk about scary, that was scary. The timing was insanely complicated, and one mistake would have caused all of causality to rent itself apart," Setsuna said. She had finished changing Ami and was now smearing the dirt and grime from the jar onto her.

"If you lived through that explosion, then where have you been for all these years? We thought you were dead. Why didn't you get us until now?" Minako asked. She had finished preparing herself and now stood near the doorway, watching for anybody approaching.

Setsuna said, "Remember the different timelines. It may have been years for you, but it's only been a month for us..."

"A month?" Minako interrupted in surprise.

"Yes. A month. I couldn't cut it any shorter. I've spent the time trying to subdue the temporal maelstrom the explosion of the castle created. It disrupted the portal well enough, but the disruption went through the portal and ended up corrupting the spacetime local to here as well. This was the first opportunity in the local spacetime that it's been safe to retrieve you. As for why I waited 20 years to retrieve you relative to your timeline, it's the same reason it was impossible for me to have gone with you in the first place. If I were to interfere with my own timeline, it would have created a paradox with consequences which are entirely impossible to predict," Setsuna explained.

"So this was all your doing?" Ranma asked.

"Kind of, but it's not that easy. My predecessor set the script. I just put things into motion as best I could based on the outline I remembered from the stories you told me. Ironically, if you had told me less, then I'd have had a much more free hand in acting," Setsuna said.

"You keep saying you'll explain, but you're just talking in circles. What exactly were you trying to accomplish with all of this?" Minako asked.

"Just arranging it so I could be born," Setsuna said simply.

"Arranging it so you could be born? Wait a second. If you had to arrange your own birth, then how did you..." Minako trailed off, confused.

"You're correct. Like I said, it's a bootstrap paradox. Don't think too much about it. My best guess is that my predecessor set it all up, and the resulting paradox got resolved by her disappearance from reality and me taking her place in arranging my own birth. That's the only explanation I can think of. I can't see this causality loop spontaneously forming on its own," Setsuna explained.

"So if that's how we ended up in the past, then what brought us back here?" Ranma asked. She had also finished changing and had taken a position on the other side of the door, watching for anybody approaching in a similar way that Minako was.

"I did, using the Gates of Time, and it was the hardest thing I've ever had to do," Setsuna said.

"Then why did you do it? What about Ami-chan and Jadeite-kun? Why did you separate them? Why'd you steal your own mother away?" Minako asked.

"All three of you disappeared on my birthday after I accepted the mantle of Sailor Pluto, so I had to take you away to prevent your presence interfering with the timeline," Setsuna said. She was putting the finishing touches on Ami.

"But we were already there and already doing things. I even had you make that promise. How much more could we have done to interfere with the timeline?" Minako retorted.

"It doesn't work like that. I know it's tempting to think something like if you three had remained in the Moon Kingdom then you would have somehow affected the Knifeline Riots in Crisium, which might have prevented Orthoclase-dono's untimely demise, which might have allowed him to do something, which would have affected something, which would have changed all of history. Yes, certainly that's all true, but that also misses the point. Actions without context aren't that important for maintaining temporal consistency; it's knowledge of past and future events that matters. The key point is that from my perspective, you three disappeared on my 20th birthday. I knew that to be true, so for it to not happen would have caused a paradox," Setsuna explained.

Minako only half paid attention to Setsuna's explanation. The comment about some riots in Crisium had caught much more of her attention and sounded much more interesting and understandable to her than temporal mechanics. She knew that many of the people in Crisium were upset with the trade arrangements they somehow ended up in as the years went by, and they had various ideological differences with several of their neighbors, but she definitely didn't think either was bad enough to cause rioting. Orthoclase would also never support such an open and crude action either, and it was hard to imagine any riots significant enough to be named happening without at least his tacit approval. However, Setsuna had also mentioned that Orthoclase had somehow died as a result of these riots, which raised questions about what his relationship to the events in question actually was. 

She was on the verge of asking Setsuna what had actually happened in Crisium when Ranma beat her to it, asking, "What about Jusenkyo? Did you have anything to do with that being locked too?"

That question knocked all political, sociological, and historical thoughts of Crisium out of Minako's head. It'd been so long since she'd thought about Jusenkyo, or the fact that the woman beside her had been born a man, in her most recent incarnation at least. She couldn't remember the last time Ranma had even talked about it.

"Kind of, but not like you think. At first, when you were pregnant, that prevented you from transforming back. After that, on the Moon, it had more to do with Serenity-sama's using the Ginzuishou to slow everybody's aging. Her liberal usage of life energy to bring cellular stability to everybody had the by-product of changing the balance of determinist, chaos, aetheric, and abjective energy necessary for Jusenkyo transformations. Now that you are no longer under the influence of an artifact of such power, you should transform into a man with hot water again," Setsuna explained.

Looking at Ranma, Minako couldn't tell if she was relieved or felt worse. In fact, Minako couldn't tell what Ranma was thinking at all.

"Does that mean that Jusenkyo can be suppressed?" Ranma asked.

"Of course it can, if you have access to an artifact as strong as the Ginzuishou. Then again, there is very little you can't do if you have access to something as strong as the Ginzuishou," Setsuna said. "Seeing how Michiru-chan can transform into Sailor Neptune, even when in her cursed form, it seems like it might take far less energy than that too, if applied correctly."

Michiru. Michiru and a curse. It sounded so familiar to Minako. It felt like that had been important at some point. If Michiru was Sailor Neptune... She vaguely recalled something important having happened to Sailor Neptune. Given what Setsuna was alluding to, presumably this person had gotten a Jusenkyo curse. However, details about who that somebody was, and what curse this was, Minako honestly couldn't remember.

"So, if all of this was to arrange you being born, why did you do it at all?" Ranma asked. "You keep talking about a predecessor. Why couldn't that person have been Sailor Pluto?"

"I don't know. I never knew my predecessor. In fact, I don't even know for certain that I have a predecessor. She, or he, no longer exists. At all. There's absolutely no evidence of that person's existence. That might be for the best, too. Do you know how lonely it is, guarding the Gates of Time for all these years? For all this time, the only bright light in my life was the memory of my childhood with you. I can't imagine how terrible it would have been without those memories. If my predecessor hadn't been as lucky as I had, I could imagine her trying to set up the situation as it currently stands. I don't know if it's true, but that's the best explanation I've been able to come up with after all of these years," Setsuna said.

"So why didn't you tell us this back in the Moon Kingdom? Why didn't you let us choose if we wanted to come back or stay there?" Ranma asked. There was definitely more than a touch of anger in her voice now.

"If I had given you the choice, what would you have done?" Setsuna asked.

"Stayed with my daughter," Ranma said without a pause.

"Stayed there," Minako agreed. It was obvious, especially if Setsuna would have been able to relay a message to the other Sailor Senshi about what had happened. She missed Artemis and the others, but the immediacy of that loss had vanished over the course of 20 years. She had grown to accept it. Most certainly she would miss all the people on the Moon and the life she had created there far more than that.

"And if I told you that you had to leave or reality would be destroyed, would you still stay behind?" Setsuna asked.

That was a much harder question. If she really needed to go or reality would be destroyed, as Ami always warned, then she supposed she would go, but it was a hard decision. She would be saying goodbye to everybody she knew and...

"And you couldn't actually say goodbye to anybody. You just had to disappear without a trace?" Setsuna added a moment later.

Leave without even saying goodbye? That made it even harder. To be clear, if the universe was to be destroyed, then it was obvious what she had to do. But still, to just vanish? People depended on her, and to abandon them without...

"Exactly. That's why I couldn't give you a choice," Setsuna said after a couple of seconds, when neither Minako nor Ranma had answered.

"So instead you just decide on your own to kidnap Minako-chan? Destroy Ami-chan's and Jadeite-kun's marriage? Take away the life I was to have with my daughter. You decide what's right, and then force that decision on everybody else?" Ranma asked, seething. "We were wrong to select you as Sailor Pluto."

"Everybody! You're all alive!" the shout of Usagi from across the room interrupted them.

* * *

Mamoru had a hard time keeping his foot off the accelerator as he approached Ranma. He could tell Ranma was becoming increasingly distressed as time went on, and as he approached the feelings he got from Ranma only increased. He tried to absorb some of the negativity to help calm Ranma, but could only do so much, lest he too get washed away in the flood of emotion.

His task was made no easier by Usagi's constant plea, sometimes verbal but always with her emotive eyes, that he go faster.

He had to keep reminding himself that it would do nobody, not Ranma, not Usagi, and especially not himself, any good if he were to be pulled over for speeding, or worse if he were to have an accident. Haruka might be able to get away with driving like a maniac, but there was no way he was going to risk it at this critical time.

Eventually he came to a stop just outside the building he knew Ranma to be in. Appropriately enough, it was the same warehouse in which Ami had discovered that portal a month ago. A lifetime ago. He had been so focused on getting there that he hadn't even realized where he was going, even though he had been there over a dozen times by now.

Usagi was out the door before the car had even come to a complete stop, and Mamoru was right behind her seconds later. He didn't even bother to lock the car door as he ran.

Despite her years of practice dashing to school, Mamoru's longer legs and overall better fitness allowed him to catch up to Usagi despite her head start. He was able to slip into the building through the door that Usagi had opened moments earlier.

"This way," he instructed, taking the lead and running to a small room in the back corner of the huge building.

"Everybody! You're all alive!" Usagi shouted out at the first sight of Minako, Ranma, Setsuna, and Ami. She put on a final burst of speed, surprising Mamoru as much as it had surprised numerous observers in the past as Usagi sprinted through an almost-closed school gate. She surged past him and then grabbed the door frame to bring herself to an abrupt stop.

Mamoru came to a halt at a much less breakneck pace just behind her. Inside the room, Ami was lying on the ground, in front of a sitting Setsuna. Minako and Ranma, on the other hand, were standing by the doorway. Regardless of their specific positions, though, all three looked like they had re-fought the fight at Mugen Academy during the rise of Pharaoh 90 without the benefit of their Sailor Senshi transformations. Whatever they had been through, it had clearly taken its toll. They looked at least a year older.

For briefest of moments, Mamoru thought Setsuna looked as though she was about to cry, but the look passed before he could be sure he saw it.

"Yes. We had a bit of trouble for the past month, but we were finally able to get back," Setsuna said in her normally unflappable way, despite her battered and injured appearance.

"What happened?" Mamoru asked. "Is Ami-chan hurt?"

"She's hurt?" Usagi parroted, the hint of growing panic appearing in her voice.

"No, Ami-chan's fine. She's just exhausted," Minako said.

"She exhausted herself arranging for the circumstances so we could get home. She'll be fine in a day or two," Setsuna added.

"Are you sure?" Usagi asked, panic still in her voice, but now at a steady level.

"Yes, she'll be fine with some rest," Ranma confirmed.

Mamoru could tell there was more to the story, in Ranma's opinion if nothing else, but he couldn't tell what it was, and he certainly wasn't going to try to see if he could find out more.

"I have to let everybody know you're alive. And Akane-san. And Ami's mother. They've all been so sad," Usagi enthused.

"That's a good idea, you should do that," Minako said. "It's probably a good idea to call a meeting so we can tell everybody what happened and answer all of your questions at once; only, can you wait a couple of days so Ami-chan can recover first? There's nothing urgent, and she should be a part of it too."

"Of course, of course," Usagi rapidly agreed as she pulled out her communicator.

Rei was the first to respond. Her work as a shrine maiden lent itself to long periods of being on her own doing tedious and repetitive work, which left her free to respond to any incoming messages. She asked, "What's the problem?"

"They're alive!" Usagi shouted into her communicator.

"Who's alive?" Haruka asked. Most likely that meant Michiru and Hotaru were listening in as well.

"They all are. Ami-chan, Minako-chan, Setsuna-san, and Saotome-san!" Usagi shouted excitedly.

"You found them? Where are they? Are they in trouble?" Rei shouted out of the communicator.

"They're hurt, but Mamo-chan and I are with them right now," Usagi said.

Mamoru winced at Usagi's choice of words. He knew what effect they would have had on him if he weren't here in person. Indeed, right after Usagi's declaration, a cacophony of worried voices asking what had happened, where they were, and promises to get there posthaste came flooding out of Usagi's communicator.

He decided to forestall the inevitable confusion by jumping in and saying, "Everything's under control. We don't need any help. I'll be driving everybody home. We'll be having a group meeting in a couple of days to talk about what happened. We all have a lot of questions, but Ami-chan and the others need a chance to rest and recover first. Can somebody give Ami-chan's mother a call and let her know we found her?"

"Do you want to bring them over here first so Ami-chan can clean up? We don't want to scare her mother too much or have her ask too many questions," Artemis suggested, meaning Makoto was listening in as well, even if she hadn't said anything when she had first joined the conversation.

"No, wait," Ranma interrupted. "It's better to drop Ami-chan off like this. We'll need to tell her mother something about why she's been gone. A kidnapping which she escaped from is as good a story as any, and it'll be better if we looked the part."

Mamoru thought about what Ranma had suggested and had to agree it was a good idea. A very good idea, considering it had been a spur of the moment thought after what they had been through.

"That's a good idea, Saotome-san," Usagi said, agreeing with Mamoru's unspoken opinion. "Let's do this then. We'll schedule a meeting on Sunday after everybody's recovered to talk about what happened, but we leave them alone in the meantime. Rei-chan, you call Ami-chan's mom and let her know we're coming. Hotaru-chan, can you let Akane-san know as well?"

Usagi spoke with the friendly tone of suggestion, but the underlying command was unmistakable to all. The four heretofore dead Sailor Senshi were not to be bothered for the next two days.

"I'm here too. I heard," Akane said on the communicator. "Before you go, can you tell Ranma..." She hesitated. "Can you tell Ranma I'm sorry?"

Ranma responded into Usagi's communicator, with a voice which reflected every bit of emotional weariness that Mamoru could tell Ranma felt, a very formal, "Apology accepted."

* * *

The first order of business was to figure out the timeline of events for the supposed kidnapping. It made the most sense for all of the relevant people to be briefed at the same time to avoid conflicting stories. Minor discrepancies would be accepted as stress causing mistaken memories, but major differences were to be avoided if at all possible.

The official story was that Ami and Minako had been out shopping when they had been confronted and kidnapped. They had fought back but had been overpowered, blindfolded, and taken to the warehouse they were later rescued from. Unfortunately, it had happened so quickly that they wouldn't be able recognize their kidnappers if they saw them again, and their captors always wore masks and never spoke where Ami and Minako would be able to hear them.

Several weeks later, while performing some obscure martial arts training, Ranma stumbled across this same warehouse. The strange, masked people had caught Ranma's attention, and further observation had revealed the captive Ami and Minako. At this point, Ranma had staged a valiant rescue of the two girls. While the rescue attempt was ultimately successful, fighting and trying to keep the girls safe had taken so much attention that Ranma would also not be able to identify any of the kidnappers.

Setsuna played no role in the events in question, and wouldn't be present when Ami was delivered to her mother.

Overall, it was a fairly standard, if utterly inexplicable, kidnapping and rescue story which Ranma dealt with on a quasi-regular basis. Usually they really were kidnappings too, and not just a convenient cover story for other less mundane activities.

Ranma just hoped that Ami wouldn't ruin things by saying something she shouldn't when she woke up. She had faith in her friend's perceptiveness and ability to think on her feet, but there was no way to brief her before she would see her mother. A person waiting at her bedside would inevitably lead to the question of why Ami wasn't in a hospital if her condition was serious enough to warrant that level of concern, and a formal hospital examination would be too dangerous. In a worst case, Ami's initial statements could be dismissed as delusions from an exhausted girl, but it would be much better to not risk closer inspection if at all possible.

Once everything was settled, Setsuna made her own way home, presumably using the Gates of Time to travel. This left Mamoru to drive only Usagi, Minako, Ami, and Ranma around, which was a tight enough fit in the car as it was.

The delivery of Ami to her mother had been without issue. Her mother had been so relieved to see Ami as Ranma carried her in that she had accepted the story at face value.

Minako lived nearby so was the next to go home. As Artemis was staying with Makoto, Minako would be able to avoid any hard questions for at least one day. Irrespective of that, Ranma had faith in Minako's ability to handle herself, even once Artemis returned to her home. While not as quick witted as Ami, her practical experience more than made up for it.

Ultimately this left Ranma alone in the car with Usagi and Mamoru. Ranma hadn't been looking forward to that, ironically because of how little she minded. She could feel the waves of curiosity coming from Mamoru and intellectually knew she should be on guard. Despite this, surprisingly, Ranma found that she actually didn't want to keep this all a secret. She knew Mamoru trusted her and would never conceive of betraying her, and that just made the prospect of lying to him, and certainly being caught by him, all the harder. After all these years of subterfuge and subtlety, it was on odd feeling. Still, force of habit prevailed. She knew her judgment was seriously impaired due to recent events, and didn't want to do anything drastic without a good night's sleep and a chance to reflect. Besides, it wouldn't be fair to the others if she said anything without consulting them first.

"So what happened to you four?" Mamoru casually asked as he drove Ranma to the home she could no longer remember. The truth please, she practically heard.

"It's a long story," Ranma answered. Please don't press me for details, especially with Usagi around.

"I'm sure it is," Mamoru said. You've changed a lot. Changed far more than the plain eye can see.

"It was a month, and we all went through a lot," Ranma said. Please don't ask for more. I really can't say at this time, if ever. I need to talk to the others first at the very least.

"Well, I can tell you're tired, so I can wait to hear what happened with everybody else at the meeting," Mamoru said. The version of events that you all decide to tell us, and that I'll accept without question. You are carrying a heavy burden, though, and if you ever feel the need to share it, I promise to do whatever I can do to help you.

"Thank you," Ranma said. For not prying. For being so accepting. For everything. Thank you.

Usagi gave no indication of being disappointed in not learning more about what had happened, although Ranma was sure she was.

The rest of the short car ride proceeded in silence, Ranma basking in Mamoru's presence as much as she was sure he was doing in hers.

* * *

At the first sight of Akane, Ranma felt absolutely nothing. She vaguely remembered loving Akane, all those years ago, but for the life of her she couldn't remember why. She also vaguely remembered being angry at Akane for some reason, but had no idea why that was either. Maybe it was related to that strange apology Akane had said earlier. Was it something important? Was it something petty? Did she miss her? Did she want to leave her? Ranma felt absolutely nothing at all. Akane could have just as easily been a random stranger Ranma saw on the street, and given everything that had happened, in many real ways she was.

"Ranma! Ranma, Ranma, Ranma. You're alive. You're really alive," Akane said, running forward the second Ranma emerged from the car. She obviously didn't feel the same confused detachment that Ranma did.

Ranma was at a momentary loss for what to do. If she hadn't been so physically, intellectually, and emotionally exhausted, she probably would have been able to handle the situation much more deftly. She eventually decided that the most appropriate thing for a returning spouse to do would be to accept her wife's hug. Despite everything she had been through and all the time spent away, they were still technically married after all.

When Akane leaned in, it likewise took Ranma a second to realize that Akane was trying to kiss her. She leaned in and shared a kiss with her technically-married wife. She knew she wasn't acting quite right, but with her judgment impaired as it was, she couldn't do very much about it except press on as best she could. She knew she'd feel better in the morning, if she could just get there without causing too much of a fuss.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. For fighting with you, for the Sailor Senshi business, for letting you go on that mission, for everything," Akane said, clinging to Ranma.

"Akane," Ranma said. Was that the right form of address to use? She wasn't sure. "That's okay, I'm just tired. I'm going to go to bed and we can talk about it later."

She felt utterly drained. The anniversary of the official founding of the Moon Kingdom was always a long day. There was always the final preparations for the ball, her normal work, setting up Setsuna's birthday party, playing with Ami at the dance, and everything else. That was just in ordinary years. That wasn't even counting what had happened this year, with Setsuna's bringing them back to Tokyo without a word of warning, and the subsequent explanations.

Setsuna. The last thought brought tears to her eyes.

Ranma felt a surge of concern from Mamoru.

"Crying? What could have happened to make the great Ranma Saotome cry?" Akane asked teasingly, then gasped. "No, no, that came out all wrong. I'm sorry. What's wrong?"

"That's alright. Don't worry about it. I just want to get some sleep," Ranma said, brushing away her tears and walking into what had once been, and was now once again, her home.

* * *

Last Updated: December 25, 2012


	12. Chapter 24

Chapter 24:

In what seemed like a blink of the eye, sunrise was over. It felt unnaturally fast to Minako. On the Moon, the process was a much more prolonged affair. With the coming of dawn, the stars above would gently disappear a dozen at a time, washed out by the growing daylight. Much slower, shadows would emerge from the darkness and then gradually retract from the growing patches light. The process would continue for the better part of a day, or night depending on when exactly it began, and last for hours. After that, the Sun would be high and visible in the sky for just under 15 days, whereupon the process would happen in reverse as the Sun set below the horizon just as slowly.

Watching the Sun rise in what felt like a matter of minutes was far too quick, in Minako's opinion. She barely had time to appreciate it was happening before it was over. Despite this, as she walked to the warehouse she had appeared in with Ami and Ranma the day before, something much more unusual and much more annoying was at the forefront of her thoughts.

Cars.

Minako had long forgotten what they sounded like, and would have been glad to never hear them again. The presence of cars was fine, even convenient in some ways, if a bit counter-intuitive at times. However, the constant rumble of running motors and the whirl of rubber rolling against asphalt was decidedly annoying and seemingly omnipresent. Even the diminished traffic of the early morning around her only served to highlight the occasional passing vehicle and make it seem all the louder.

She hoped she would in time once again grow accustomed to the sounds of cars, as well as to all of the other sounds of Tokyo, so she could unconsciously tune them out as she remembered she had done in the past. However, the single night she had been back in Tokyo had certainly not been long enough for her mind to classify the noise of engines and wheels as being irrelevant yet. For now, the rush of cars was still very present and very much on her mind as she opened the door to the warehouse in front of her, revealing the strange sight of a person rolling around on the ground.

The person sprang to her feet, facing Minako in a martial artist's stance.

Minako adopted a defensive stance of her own, cursing again how she had left her sword at home when she had gone to the ball. She felt naked without it. Maybe she would be able to acquire a new one somehow. Ami might be able to fashion something, if not of crystal then of something else. She would need to consult with Ami about acquiring a new henshin rod anyway. Then again, she wasn't sure how carrying a sword around with her all the time would be received by the population at large. The local authorities might have an issue with her walking around while armed as well. She would need to look into that. In the meantime, she had to fall back on her unarmed abilities.

Her unrecognized opponent relaxed. Despite that, Minako kept her guard up in case it was a trap of some sort. It was only after several more moments, once she realized who it was, that Minako allowed herself to relax as well.

"Hey, Minako-chan. You had the same idea?" Ranma asked. With the red shirt and black pants she wore, instead of her normal white shirt and skirt, Minako had completely failed to recognize Ranma at first.

"That depends. Were you thinking of staging the warehouse so it looks like a kidnapping and rescue took place in case somebody thought to investigate our mysterious abduction?" Minako asked.

"Yes," Ranma answered.

"No," Minako answered.

"Right," Ranma said skeptically.

"Need a hand?" Minako asked.

"Sure. I got the break-in happening over there," Ranma said, pointing to a window with a broken pane of glass, "and I was working on the fight leading to the hostage room."

"Right. Why don't I start at the point of rescue? I was one of the damsels in distress, after all," Minako said melodramatically.

Minako ponderously made her way over to the room they had reappeared in, scuffing her feet and banging roughly into some crates as she walked. As she did so, she noticed the faded chalk symbols on the ground and the various broken esoteric instruments lying strewn about. They lent a vague atmosphere of cult-like ceremony to the room, and would certainly add substantially to any story an investigator might envision in regard to their supposed kidnapping.

Once Minako reached her destination, she roughly banged the door open and shut a few times. She then started pacing, sitting, lying, and generally emulating the behavior of a captive in rapid motion.

"Have you heard anything about Ami-chan?" Ranma asked her as she was doing all of this.

"Nothing yet. If I had to make a guess, I'd say she was going to be out of it for a good while longer," Minako said. She tossed a few crumbs of food semi-randomly across the floor. "Why'd she have to use a stimager anyway?"

"From what I can tell, her choices were to miss the last window of opportunity to survey Venus for who knows how long, to tell Serenity-sama that she wouldn't have the henshin rod ready for the big presentation, or to take a stimager. It seems like a pretty clear choice to me," Ranma answered.

"I know that. I was being rhetorical. I just meant the timing was awful," Minako clarified.

Ranma decisively opened the door to her room, pulling it slightly off of its hinges. In response, Minako emoted awed relief and said, "My hero. Here to rescue me?"

"Speaking of which," Ranma said, pulling the sitting Minako to her feet and leading her out of the room, "I'll need to have a talk with her about making another henshin rod for me and picking up the mantle of Sailor Terra again. By the way, you're now a guard."

Ranma then punched Minako in the stomach. She pulled her punch, using enough force to push Minako back but not enough force to wind her. A leg-sweep, obediently stood still for, and Minako was on the floor.

Minako climbed to her feet and stumbled towards the door. As she staggered, she asked, "You and me both. I left mine at home for the ball. I hope Ami-chan can figure something out. Oh, and your turn, Miss Mysterious Savior."

So saying, Minako took a standing jump at Ranma, leg outstretched. Ranma could have dodged the telegraphed and intentionally predictable jump kick, but instead braced herself as she was knocked backwards into a box.

"I'm sure she will. She always does," Ranma said as she got to her feet and dusted herself off.

Minako lightly walked back to the room they had started in and said, "That's true. So, let's see if we can't get that problem-solver out of here too."

"Still, best of luck to her. Once she can transform into Sailor Mercury I'm sure she'll be fine, but I can't imagine trying to explain to any of the others what needs to be done to create a henshin rod to connect her to Mariner Castle. I mean, I lived there and I don't even understand the things Ami-chan tries to explain sometimes, and that's ignoring the questions it would raise in the others about how she knows this stuff," Ranma said. She then picked Minako up and held her in her arms.

"My hero. Here to rescue me?" Minako asked again. "By the way, how did last night go? Did you have any problems with, what was her name," Minako thought quickly, trying to remember what had been said the previous night, "Akane-san?"

"No. I just said I was tired," Ranma answered. Neither she nor Minako paid any attention to the complicated footwork and occasional back-flip Ranma did while holding her charge. "She didn't press me too hard for answers after that, and she was still sleeping when I left this morning."

Minako was somewhat lucky in that regard. Due to the obvious ordeal she had been through, Makoto was going to keep Artemis until the meeting, all so Minako would have a chance to recover in peace. After the meeting, she would have had a chance to consult with the others, so would better know how to answer any inquiring questions the cat had.

"Main door?" Ranma asked abruptly.

"Too much chance of being seen. Let's do a window. If we're doing a rescue, we should do it right," Minako said.

"Suit yourself. Watch your eyes," Ranma said. She then jumped, back first, through a window. She landed in a crouch and let Minako regain her footing. Both looked around, trying to see if they had been observed.

Once she had established that the only other person in sight was Ranma, Minako walked back to the window and carefully gave herself a light gash with the edge of the broken glass. As she did so, she said, "That takes care of the kidnapping, but we still need to figure out what to tell the others."

"What to tell the others," Ranma repeated. Minako knew that look; the one which suggested Ranma had already turned the idea over several times in her mind, each time coming up with a conclusion that she hadn't expected. "I was thinking about that. Why don't we just tell them the truth?"

"The truth?" Minako asked, surprised.

That was an idea Minako hadn't even considered. It seemed so natural to tell them some cover story. Some sort of lie. It was the same instinct which had caused her to mask her actions as Sailor V, and later Sailor Venus, to her teachers, to her friends, and to the public at large.

However, that was for the general masses: the people who would get in the way of the job she knew she had to do, and the people whose lives would be put into danger trying to help her in ways they simply wouldn't be able to. That wasn't for her former, and may become again, allies and friends.

"Why not?" Ranma asked in return. "I've changed. We all have. It'll be hard enough to keep it all a secret anyway. Why not just come clean?"

That was true enough. Minako hadn't even remembered that she was supposed to be a student here. She had stumbled across her old student identification card while exploring her home which had reminded her of that fact, as well as of which school she was supposed to be attending. She still needed to locate a map at some point to find out where exactly Juuban High School was, as well as locate some kind of class schedule. It would be much easier if she could just ask somebody.

For that matter, Minako really couldn't think of any reason to keep everything a secret from the other Sailor Senshi. From the general public, sure, for all of the reasons they kept everything else a secret. However, from the other Sailor Senshi? What's the worst that could happen? That they ask for some of the details about the start of the Silver Millennium? It was hard to see that causing any issues. After all, it wasn't like any of their grandfathers, paternal or otherwise, had been there.

"If you want to tell them the truth I don't have a problem with it, but Ami-chan might. You know how she is about the importance of keeping things secret sometimes," Minako said.

Ranma shook her head and said, "As long as she doesn't go on another lecture about the problems of paradox and breaking the timeline again, I'm fine with whatever she says."

"You and me both," Minako agreed. She had been on the receiving end of one of those lectures far too many times. However, in fairness, seeing how Ami had apparently been right, maybe she should have paid more attention to her. "So once Ami-chan wakes up, we check with her, and assuming she's okay with it, we tell them the truth, right? Even about you and Setsuna-chan?"

Ranma stopped walking and didn't answer.

Minako turned and looked at her unresponsive companion.

Ranma had an ashen look on her face.

Too soon, apparently.

* * *

Ami awoke with a start.

Ami awoke with a start, and a blindingly painful headache, rather.

She knew from past experience that there was nothing to be done for it. The one time she had transformed into Sailor Mercury to flood her body with aetheric energy in an attempt to substitute it for the dearth of life energy within her had successfully alleviated the pain temporarily, but the headache had returned with heavy interest when she had released her link with Mariner Castle later.

Just like every other time she had awoken from a stimager crash, Ami resolved yet again to spend the time necessary to diminish or even eliminate the side-effects of front-loading life energy patterns, but knew she wouldn't bother once her current predicament had ended. Nobody, including herself, used them enough to make improving their design a priority over the numerous other more pressing demands in the lab. The heavy side-effects also helped make sure that people thought long and hard before using one and that they didn't become too habitual a crutch.

The last thing Ami remembered was Setsuna's accepting the mantle of Sailor Pluto. That meant she must have crashed at the ball. Hopefully Ranma had taken her back home. If it had been Minako, she was sure she would be teased about it for days.

Ami forced her eyes open to get her bearings, fully expecting to see her bedroom. What she saw was in fact her bedroom, but not the one she had been expecting. Instead, she saw her bedroom in Tokyo. The room she had had before her forced migration to the Moon Kingdom.

It had been a long time since she dreamed of that home. So long, in fact, that she couldn't remember the last time she had done so.

Certainly she had never had such a headache during a dream of Tokyo. She couldn't ever remember thinking that she was in a dream during one either. Idly, she tried to will herself to fly, just as a quick test. Nothing happened.

Ami reflexively reached for her Mercury Computer when she stopped. Of course she didn't have it with her. She had left it at home for the anniversary ball. She cursed her luck.

She could make another one, of course. She had spent enough years analyzing it and experimenting with it by this point that she knew it backwards and forwards. Recreating a new Mercury Computer wouldn't be a problem, although that was assuming she had access to some serious aetheric energy or an absurd amount of life energy.

More fortunately, there was good reason to think she would have access to a serious amount of aetheric energy. Unlike the Mercury Computer, she had actually brought her henshin rod with her to the ball. It was most lucky that she had discovered that particular trick, which had necessitated having her henshin rod with her, to use against Ranma this year; but given the circumstances, she thanked that particular bit of serendipity. If she could find the gown she had worn to the ball, retrieving the henshin rod from the small pocket designed to hold it in her dress would be easy.

Worst case, if the henshin rod was in fact gone, she might be able to use Ranma's psionic energy to create some sort of very temporary connection to Mariner Castle which she could use to bootstrap something together. Hopefully that wouldn't be the case, though. It would take hours, maybe days, to explain to Ranma what would need to be done.

That would be a problem for another time, though. A time when she didn't feel like she had a dagger jammed into her right parietal lobe.

Ami cautiously pulled herself to her feet. Then, as steadily as she could, she staggered to the living room. Once there, she saw a shrine had been put up with a picture of her smiling in a school uniform featuring prominently. If this was a dream, she was sure psychologists would have a field day with it.

She barely had time to take it all in when she was enveloped by an enormous hug.

"Oh, my baby. My darling little girl. I'm so glad you're alright," her mother said while clinging desperately to Ami as though she might float away at any moment. "I heard all about it from your friends. It must have been a terrible experience for you."

Terrible experience? No. It had been rough at first, but after the first few years it had actually been rather nice, especially the last decade once she had started dating Jadeite and had subsequently married him. Jadeite. The thought that he might be gone forever sobered Ami up from the fuzzy happiness she felt at seeing her mother again after having given up hope so long ago. She tried to get her muddled head to think more clearly.

There was almost no way that Minako and Ranma would have told her mother the truth. It was much more likely that they had told her mother some sort of cover story. What that story was, though, Ami had no idea, so she did what she always did in such situations. Like a good scientist, she gathered more information without committing to anything.

"Yes, it was terrible," Ami said as noncommittally as she could.

"Kidnapped. In Tokyo. I don't know what those police have been doing. What happened?" her mother asked.

Kidnapped? That answered one question. It also was a good cover story. It allowed a great deal of flexibility in circumstances, and it would explain how she was still alive after all these years yet hadn't been able to get in contact with her mother before. It didn't explain why she looked so similar to how she had appeared those 20-some years ago, but her mother hadn't asked. Then again, her mother didn't look that much older herself. There was something she didn't understand going on here.

But she had been asked a question. What happened? What explanation of circumstances, if any, had Minako and Ranma given? What explanation would she herself have given if she had been the one to deliver an unconscious Ami to her mother, knowing that that Ami would wake up later without the chance of being briefed?

What she would have voluntarily said would be nothing. And her mother would probably have been so relieved that she wouldn't have asked too many detailed questions either.

Saying nothing was probably the safest answer to give now as well. Moreover, even if Minako or Ranma had given some explanation, Ami could simply have not been in a position to have seen anything herself. So, nothing it was.

"I don't know. It all happened so fast. I'm not sure what happened," Ami said.

"Still, gone for a whole month. Didn't you find out anything? Why did they take you? Why didn't they contact me? How did you survive?" her mother asked.

A month? Only? That would account for a few of the oddities she had noticed thus far and answer several of her outstanding questions, even as it raised countless more about what had happened. Most of those questions were answered just as quickly as they came up. How only a month? If time travel was involved, as she thought it was, then why not only a month? Then why not have them return immediately? That would be a question to ask whoever had arranged their return, assuming it wasn't just happenstance.

So much could have happened, must have happened, while she had been asleep. She needed to find Minako and Ranma as soon as she could.

Her mother looked at her with an expectant look.

Ami had to say something. Something that was safe and reassuring, but wouldn't raise too many questions. "It could have been much worse." Her body was in a good state, although certainly leaner than it had been all those years ago. "They gave me enough to eat that I wouldn't starve." She had just woken up from a stimager crash, so would have been comatose up until this point. "If anything, the leaving was more exhausting than the weeks spent there." Did Ranma get involved with the storyline with some kind of daring escape? That speculation was too tentative given the available data. "To tell you the truth, it was more boring than anything else, spending all that time with nothing to do."

"You poor thing. Once you start feeling better we'll get you signed up for some self-defense classes. If this ever happens again, you need to be able to take care of it yourself," her mother said.

Self-defense classes sounded like a good idea. They would reassure her mother and help explain some of the skills she had picked up over the years.

"I'd like that," Ami said.

* * *

"You said he was cold before. How's it any different now?" Hotaru asked Akane over the ice cream sundae the older woman had bought for her.

"I can't explain it. I know Ranma better than anybody else, except maybe his father, and he's just different now," Akane insisted, her hands moving randomly to express the sentiment that her voice wasn't able to convey. "I used to be able to tell how he was feeling just by looking at him. He was angry, but I could tell. Now it's like he's a completely different person. I can't tell what he's thinking at all anymore. I guess it's good that he's not angry, I think, but... I don't know."

"That sounds terrible," Hotaru said, nodding in sympathy. She didn't know what else to say. In fact, she suspected Akane wasn't expecting anything at all from her, except a sincere ear to listen.

"It's like when he first got home, I saw him crying. There's no way that Ranma, 'man among men,' would ever cry, but there he was. That's another thing too. It used to be that he never spent any more time as a girl than he had to, but he didn't even bother getting any hot water before he went to sleep last night. It used to be that he would turn male whenever he could, and now it seems, I don't know," Akane said. "I just don't understand him anymore."

"Well he did spend a month with Ami-san, Minako-san, and Setsuna-mama..." Hotaru said, looking around the ice cream parlor, and while it didn't appear anybody was paying attention, it was better safe than sorry, "... doing stuff. Whatever they faced must have been really bad. I don't think I've ever seen Setsuna-mama like that before either."

"Did you find out what happened? I tried asking Ranma, but he avoided the question yesterday, and this morning when I woke up, he was already gone," Akane asked. "That's also another thing. I tried to get up extra early today to buy a big breakfast for him, but he had already left home before I woke up. It used to be that his father would have to throw him into a pond to get him to stop sleeping. He never woke up early before."

Hotaru was tempted to giggle at the imagery Akane had evoked within her of such an unorthodox wake-up call, but knew that that wouldn't be so well received. Instead, she answered Akane's question, saying, "No, I don't know anything either. Michiru-mama and Haruka-papa were trying to ask Setsuna-mama what happened, but she wouldn't tell us anything. It must have a terrible thing they went through."

In fact, she had thought she had even heard Setsuna crying, but Haruka had passed by and said that it was probably best to leave her alone, so Hotaru hadn't investigated.

"I'm sure it was. Ranma looked to be in worse shape than after his fight with Herb, and that fight caused a landslide," Akane said.

Hotaru found the idea of a fight causing a landslide somewhat unbelievable. Even the fight against Mordecia, which had caused more collateral damage than all but the largest fights the Sailor Senshi had fought against their most dangerous enemies, had only gone to the point of severely damaging a shopping mall. It certainly hadn't caused major terrain changes. Then again, it was more believable than the thought of Akane just making that up, especially from what she had heard and seen of Ranma's fighting abilities.

"I wonder what happened while they were gone," Hotaru asked.

"Me too. I can't wait for the meeting. I'll be glad to finally find out what happened," Akane said. "I just hope Ranma will be there too. I don't know if he's planning on going. I suppose Ami-san, Minako-san, and Setsuna-san will be there, though, so we should be able to get some answers at least."

"We haven't seen Setsuna-mama since this morning either, but that's not too unusual, and I don't know if Ami-san has woken up yet. At the very worst, we should at least have Minako-san to answer some questions," Hotaru said.

* * *

Ami was walking down the street, taking in all the sights and smells around her as she made her way to the restaurant Setsuna had suggested they meet at. It was a suggestion that Ami was more than happy to agree to. Most of her headache had disappeared, but that only had the effect of making her more aware of the fact that she hadn't eaten anything for over 24 hours.

Ideally she would have been meeting Minako and Ranma in addition to Setsuna, but she hadn't been able to arrange that. In fact, she had been in the process of reaching for the phone to call Minako's number, which she had luckily found written in an address book, when her own phone had rung. Setsuna had coincidentally called her at the exact same time. After they had confirmed a time and place to meet, Ami had proceeded to call Minako, but she had had no luck in reaching her. Nobody picked up. Getting in contact with Ranma was even less possible as Ami didn't know if Ranma's home even had a phone, nor did she know its physical location.

With any luck, Setsuna would have reached out to Minako and Ranma, and Ami would find all three of them at the restaurant waiting for her. Setsuna had been the one to contact her, after all. Regardless, even if she was only able to talk to Setsuna, she was sure she could get a great deal of basic information from her, especially if Setsuna had already spoken with Minako and Ranma, as Ami suspected she had.

Thoughts of questions, answers, plots, and plans fell by the wayside as she drew close to the restaurant. They were pushed to the side where they were merely a niggling concern rather than the active train of thought, suppressed but not completely eliminated by her hunger. She really hoped that the others had arrived before her and there was already food on the table.

Half of her hope came true. Pushing open the door, she spotted that Setsuna was already in the restaurant waiting for her, strategically placed in a relatively isolated booth in the back corner of the room with a bag next to her.

That answered one question for Ami immediately. Unless something extremely serious had happened while she had been asleep, it was clearly the original, older Setsuna she was meeting. How the presumed-dead Sailor Senshi had survived, how she was here, and what her role in everything was, Ami had no clue. However, the frosty composed look betraying nothing of her inner state of mind would have been completely foreign to the face of the lively young woman she had watched growing up.

Almost more welcome to Ami's eyes was the large spread of dishes already in place in front of her. Ami assumed Setsuna had ordered for the group, given the sheer amount of food on the table. Even so, Ami felt so famished that she hoped it would be enough for everybody. She felt as though she could eat at least half of the dishes herself.

What Ami didn't see were her two friends.

"Hello, Setsuna...chan?" Ami asked once she was in earshot. She hesitated, not sure how to address the woman.

"Take a seat and help yourself, Ami-chan. I'm sure you must be hungry," Setsuna replied with flat composure.

"Thanks," Ami said, and slid into the booth across from Setsuna.

Ami made it a point to eat much slower than she wanted to, possibly even eating less quickly than she usually did. It would do no good to gorge herself only to lose it all by being sick from overeating. She was aided in her attempts to slow her eating by how odd the food tasted. It wasn't bad as such, but the flavors were definitely unusual in her mouth.

"Any idea how long before the others show up?" Ami asked, once the edge had been taken off of her hunger.

"They're not coming, unless you know something I don't. I wasn't able to invite Minako-chan or Ranma-san," Setsuna said plainly.

"You didn't call them? I thought for sure you'd have called all of us together to talk about everything that's happened," Ami said.

"I'd have liked to, but I couldn't find a way to find them before coming here," Setsuna explained coldly.

"Couldn't you find them in the Gates of Time or something?" Ami asked, surprised. She had never had a chance to really find out what the capabilities of the Gates of Time were, but she had assumed that simply locating a person would be a relatively easy thing to do with them.

"They don't work that way. If they did, I could have helped much more with some of the problems which you've faced throughout the years," Setsuna answered clinically. "Just look how long Chibi-Usa was able to remain unfound after stealing one of the keys to the fourth dimension."

"Strange. I'd have thought that the Guardian of Time would have had more power than that," Ami said. She had put a lot of thought into various theories of temporal manipulation, but from what she could tell, knowledge of the location of people wouldn't cause any substantial problems with the timeline.

"Guardian of Time, not Mistress. I can only directly influence time in certain specific ways, and finding people isn't one of them," Setsuna said coldly. That piqued Ami's interest, but that was a conversation for another time. "Even so, I managed find you, and you were by far the most important person. The others already know the basics."

"Right. So, what happened?" Ami asked between mouthfuls of rice.

"The completion of a bootstrapping paradox, to arrange my own birth," Setsuna said simply. Ami accepted the statement without question or explanation. It fit all of the data just as well as any of the theories she could come up with, and she had no reason to doubt Setsuna's statement.

"Right. I guess that makes sense. What about the people left behind? What about Jadeite? What happened to him?" Ami asked, feeling more than slightly detached from the situation for some reason. Odd, considering how she had just found out that she would never see her husband again.

Acute stress reaction, the analytical part of her mind decided. Statistically, after 48 to 72 hours, it would fade and the reality of recent events would hit her. That was when the true emotional impact would start. However, that was something to deal with when it occurred. In the meantime, focus on the problem at hand. There were all sorts of questions and issues to address, and she was sure she wouldn't be in a state to handle either once her psychological detachment had ended.

Setsuna paused in thought, and then said, "From what I can remember, it took him some 50 years to get over your disappearance, but he never forgot you. He eventually remarried. They named their first daughter after you."

That Jadeite. Always so sentimental. He should have given up on her much sooner.

"Was he happy?" Ami asked.

"He seemed to be," Setsuna answered flatly.

"I suppose I should be upset at you, for what you did," Ami said, still emotionally detached from the situation.

"You probably should. I did some terrible things. I deserve what I get," Setsuna said, her lack of emotion oddly jarring with the contents of her speech.

Something wasn't right here. All of the little cues, little mismatches in Setsuna's behavior, they seemed important to Ami for some reason. She put her chopsticks down and thought. Obviously Ami was having a psychological reaction to recent traumatic events, but Setsuna had been the cause of all of these events and had known they were coming up. It was doubtful that she was having the same reaction that Ami was.

Still, Setsuna seemed as detached as Ami was. Maybe even more so. Her actions seemed familiar too, somehow. They reminded her of Ranma in some way. Ranma from way back when, somehow. Back when something truly unforgettable had happened.

"You really shouldn't use the Soul of Ice for any prolonged period of time. Your mother tried it once, and it's really not healthy," Ami finally said, once everything had clicked into place.

Setsuna just stared at Ami for a second, pausing in thought. Another second. Then she broke out crying, "She hates me! She does! And I deserve it!"

The restaurant was fairly empty, and the booth provided enough distance between them and the rest of the room that Ami had felt comfortable discussing the confidential things they had been talking about. Still, Setsuna's outburst was loud enough to grab everybody's attention, and the other people in the room turned to look at her. Upon seeing the grown woman crying, they all turned back to politely mind their own business. Culturally enforced privacy was almost as effective as a physical wall.

"Don't worry. Ranma-chan really does love you. You only did what you had to do. She'll come around once she sees that," Ami tried to say in explanation.

"No, she won't. She'll hate me forever. I'd hate me forever. I do hate me," Setsuna disagreed.

"You didn't have a choice," Ami reassured her. What was the proper thing to do here? Ami decided to move out from her side of the booth and take a seat next to Setsuna.

"There's always a choice," Setsuna disagreed. "Always."

"Except when there isn't," Ami insisted. "You did the right thing."

Ami was having serious second thoughts about telling Setsuna to discontinue using the Soul of Ice. It would have been much better timing to have waited for a time when Minako was around. Her friend had always been better at handling these situations than Ami was. Moreover, her own current analytical state did nothing to help her connect with the woman who, ironically, was the catalyst for the situation at hand.

"But still, she hates me," Setsuna said.

"I'm sure Ranma-chan will eventually understand," Ami said. She tried her best to ignore the vast age difference between them. She instead pretended that the crying woman was the young Setsuna from just a couple of days ago, coming to see her aunt Ami about some problem she was having in her life. Ami decided that in that case, most likely Ami's response would have been to hug the young Setsuna, so she did so.

They sat there for a while, Setsuna sobbing quietly to herself in Ami's arms while Ami murmured reassuring nothings to her.

Eventually Setsuna calmed down, although the streaks from her tears still adorned her cheeks. She asked Ami, "Do you think you could talk to her for me?"

"Me?" Ami asked. She didn't really want to be in that position, but what else could she do? It wasn't an unreasonable request, and she really might be the best person to talk to Ranma. Either her or Minako, and Minako wasn't around. "I'll see what I can do."

They sat together for a couple more minutes before Ami felt that it was safe and appropriate to go back to her side of the table to finish her meal and their conversation.

* * *

Ami was a bit early for the Sailor Senshi meeting, but in her opinion that was a good thing. She hadn't been able to reach Minako or Ranma since lunch, and she was eager to brief them on what she and Setsuna had concluded; or to be briefed by them on what they had concluded, as the case may be.

She had stopped at her home to hide the bag Setsuna had given her which contained her halter dress and shoes. They were the only physical evidence that her time on the moon hadn't been some elaborate shared delusion, but, more importantly, her dress did in fact still contain her henshin rod. A quick experiment had shown that she was still able to transform into Sailor Mercury. It felt a bit different than she remembered, but certainly the centuries or millenniums which had passed since her disappearance from the Moon Kingdom would have brought with them advances and developments that she had never even dreamed of. She looked forward to reverse engineering all of those changes and improvements when she had the chance.

One such trick she was notably curious about was the means by which those who had succeeded her, or had preceded her depending on perspective, had managed to devise to store the henshin rod and other devices in a non-corporeal state. A test of her henshin rod demonstrated that she could now use a storage command to cause it to vanish, while the same trick hadn't worked with the same rod in the past. This implied it was something to do with either the link to Mariner Castle or something in Mariner Castle itself. The puzzle had haunted her for decades, and she looked forward to finally finding out how they had done it.

Once she had reached her home, though, she had changed her mind about what to do with the bag. Rather than hide her ballgown and shoes in an appropriately secret place, she decided she'd bring them with her to the meeting. In talking with Setsuna, their conclusion was to tell the other Sailor Senshi at least part of what had happened. Carrying physical proof of their fantastic adventure would aid substantially in convincing the others that it had actually happened; and if Minako and Ranma didn't want to reveal the truth, it would be easy enough to hide the bag away or otherwise keep it a secret.

Before leaving her home, Ami had tried to call Minako one last time, but had been unable to reach her. As a result, Ami had decided to come to the meeting early. She was relatively sure that the other two would have had similar thoughts and would arrive early as well. She was less sure how much privacy they would have, as the other Sailor Senshi might show up early in eager anticipation of finding out what had happened. Regardless of the others' punctuality or curiosity, though, Ami was almost positive that Rei would be around. Given that, it would take some careful maneuvering to safely talk with Minako and Ranma, either of a physical means to avoid the shrine maiden or of a linguistic means to mislead her.

Upon reaching the top of the stairs, she saw that her hunch had been correct. Leaning against a building were Minako and Ranma. It took Ami a second to recognize Ranma, as different as she looked from how Ami was accustomed to. They were strategically placed on two faces of the same building corner, such that they could observe in all directions at once. Theoretically watch in all directions at once, at least. Minako was casually leaning back against a wall, but Ranma had her head down with a deep, thoughtful look on her face. Both of them had bags next to them not unlike the one Ami herself carried. Barring further evidence, Ami suspected that they had probably come to a similar conclusion about telling the truth that she and Setsuna had.

A second quick glance did not reveal the presence of the resident shrine maiden or anybody else nearby. Given the position of Minako and Ranma, it was reasonable to assume that they were alone, but Ami still would wait for a signal from one of them before saying anything too risky. She didn't want to commit to anything without being sure there was a group consensus first.

"So, you're finally up, sleepyhead?" Minako asked once Ami got close enough that she didn't need to shout.

Ami thought, trying to figure out what she would have said all those years ago. She finally settled on saying, "I'm feeling much better now. Sorry to have worried you all." As she spoke, she searched both of their faces for any clue as to whether they could talk freely or not.

Ranma briefly looked up as Ami spoke, but then returned to staring at her shoes. Minako caught the glance Ami was casting out, and said, "It's fine. Nobody else is here. We saw Rei-chan sweeping out back, but it's been a while and she's probably somewhere else by now."

"I spoke with Setsuna-chan and I know most of what's going on," Ami said in a low voice. At the mention of her daughter's name, Ranma's head sunk even more.

"It's weird being back, isn't it? I keep expecting to wake up like it's some strange dream, or nightmare, or something," Minako said.

"If only that were the case. I'd like nothing more than to wake up and tell Jadeite about the strangest dream I've ever had in my life," Ami agreed. "You think you could turn into Mount Fuji, just to add to it?"

"I don't think I'll be able to do that. I'm a lot of things but I'm no eggplant, and Ranma-chan's no hawk either, no matter how much time she spends up in the air," Minako answered, catching the reference Ami threw out.

"That's unfortunate. I guess this isn't a dream," Ami said. More seriously, she then asked, "Any thoughts about what to tell the others?"

Minako answered for the two of them, as Ranma still stared at the floor. She said, "We talked it over for a bit, and Ranma-chan and I thought we should, you know, actually tell them the truth."

"The whole truth?" Ami asked. The only part that she and Setsuna hadn't been sure about was, "Even about Ranma-chan and Setsuna-chan?"

"I don't know about that. Every time I try to ask about Setsuna-chan, Ranma-chan's, well..." Minako said, gesturing towards the woman still sitting, head now in her hands. "I guess she, along with you, did get the short end of things. How are you holding up?"

"I'm fairly sure I'm experiencing acute stress reaction. Shock, if you will. I'm fine right now, but one of you should probably come by to check on me in the next two or three days. I'll try to contact one of you if I start needing help, but I might not realize I need it until I'm in a state where I won't be able to do so," Ami declared clinically. She thought more about her situation, and then added, "I recommend that you remind me that Jadeite wouldn't want me to mope about any more than I would want him to. Do want him to. Did want him to. Whatever the proper tense to use is."

"I can handle that. I don't think Ranma-chan will be in any state to do anything herself either. She's still a bit upset about what Setsuna-chan did," Minako said.

"Why did she do it?" Ranma asked, joining the conversation for the first time since Ami had shown up.

"She did what she had to do," Ami said. That was all that mattered to Ami, for now.

"No she didn't. She didn't have to kidnap us. Forget about me, what about you and Jadeite? What about Setsuna-chan? My daughter's going to grow up, did grow up, without any parents," Ranma said.

"She had a fine parent for the first 20 years of her life. That's more than a lot of people. That's better than I had," Minako said. 

"Or really most of the Sailor Senshi," Ami agreed.

"I don't like it any more than you do, but don't you think you're being a bit hard on her?" Minako continued.

"I didn't raise her like that. And this is just the one situation we know of. What else has she done, supposedly to protect the timeline? It's not right for her to be forcing others to do things like that," Ranma said.

"Look. I know it hurts that Setsuna-chan didn't give you a choice and did this on her own. How do you think I feel about losing Jadeite?" Ami asked. Or would feel in a few days, once her initial trauma had passed. "But do you really think she would have stolen your chance of a life together if she had any choice in the matter?"

"I don't know. I don't know her anymore," Ranma said.

"Yes you do," Ami answered sharply. "She did the right thing. You know that too. Don't let your loss of a life with the young Setsuna-chan ruin your chance with her right now. She loves you, and she misses you."

Ranma just gave a humph in protest, but didn't answer.

Head down. Frown on her face. Stubborn refusal to address the problem at hand. Ami diagnosed that Ranma was suffering a classic case of being grumpy. That established, she thought through her catalog of responses to the situation and possible treatments for the condition. Ultimately, she decided on one which had a proven history of having worked. She reached over, grabbed Ranma by the arm and hip, and tossed her bodily into the air.

Despite being caught off-guard and in the air, Ranma had already oriented herself to safely land on her feet. Ami repositioned herself to compensate for Ranma's different bearing and moved into a position more conducive for catching her. Even so, stopping the falling human projectile was going to be a jarring experience, but she knew from past experience as recent as two days ago that she could safely do it.

She positioned herself appropriately around the falling Ranma, catching her and placing her in a properly elegant starting position on the ground. She asked, "May I have this dance?"

"What? Now?" Ranma asked, baffled.

"Sure, why not? Nobody else is here yet, and you look like you can use some fun," Ami declared. Without waiting for a response, she stepped forward, forcing Ranma to step back or be pushed over.

"Well, there's no music for oneee!" Ranma said, the last as a shout as a quick direction change had almost, but not quite, managed to trip her.

It was the most flatfooted Ami had managed to catch Ranma in years. It was obvious that Setsuna weighed as heavily on Ranma's mind as Ranma did on Setsuna's. If that were the case, doing something to take Ranma's mind off of it for a bit might be a good thing, but Ami would need to watch herself to make sure her partner didn't end up in too much trouble. She certainly wouldn't be using her full efforts this time. It was a different type of challenge for Ami, to make it interesting enough to distract Ranma, but not so much as to overwhelm her despite her absentminded state.

"Consider it a handicap. After all, isn't a martial artist supposed to be ready for anything?" Ami asked, parroting back the words Ranma had told her so frequently in the past.

Behind her, Ami heard Minako's voice start to sing, almost on cue. Her friend must have agreed with her judgment, as she picked up the beat Ami had set and without hesitation started singing "Twilight's Embrace." The song lacked a complex harmony, meaning it was a waste to sing with a full orchestra, but the simple melody made it perfect for singing solo at times like this.

"There's your music, so now what's your excuse going to be?" Ami challenged, pulling Ranma casually to her side. She sped up her pace slightly to match Minako's rhythm.

"Fine, fine, I get it," Ranma said, to the empty space Ami had been a moment before as Ami took hold of her hand and swiveled around her, turning in a half circle and ending up behind Ranma.

That was the last of the conversation for the moment as the pair cavorted around as only a pair of expert martial artists who had spent years as dance partners could. Ami could tell as they went that her idea was working. Ranma, almost in spite of herself, was having fun.

"I've been meaning to mention to you," Ranma finally said, while flying through the air, "Minako-chan and I are going to need you to make us another set henshin rods, seeing how the last ones are lost who knows where."

"If I know Spinel-chan, she probably hid them away in the lab somewhere for examination before Serenity-sama could turn them into some memorial or put them in a museum or something," Ami said. "I should be able to make some replacements without too much trouble, but it might be a bit before I can get them done."

"That will be fine. It's not like we need to transform into Sailor Senshi on a daily basis," Ranma said.

They continued to flow together for several seconds more before Ami felt Ranma stiffen. Then, with a wooden voice, Ranma asked, "So, you met up with Setsuna-chan earlier today? How is she?"

Never mind the fact that that at that particular moment they had their backs to each other. Or maybe Ranma had picked that particular timing on purpose.

Ami took the moment to pick up Ranma from behind her and pulled her over her head back to standing in front of her. She looked Ranma squarely in the eye and said, "She's sad. What you said hurt her. She's really sorry for what she had to do, you know."

"I know, I know, I know," Ranma said. She sighed, and continued, "I really can't blame her for it, either. It's like you said; she did what she had to. We all have, sometime. I shouldn't have rejected her like that."

"It's not too late to apologize you know. She still loves you. A lot," Ami said. She then noticed out of the corner of her eye that Usagi and Mamoru were standing halfway up the stairs, jaws agape. "I think we have some company."

"You just noticed now? They've been watching us for the better part of a minute. Rei-chan's over there, too," Ranma said non-nonchalantly, pointing with her head to the side. "What have I told you about being more observant?"

Ami chanced a glance in the direction Ranma gestured, still on guard in case this was a trick of some sort to distract her. Now that it was pointed out, she did see the shrine maiden semi-hidden behind a tree.

"Well, we were planning on telling them the truth anyway, so I guess the more questions we give them before the meeting the easier it will go," Ami said. "Ready for the big finale?"

"Have I ever not been ready?" Ranma answered back with a smirk.

Ranma had much more of her normal bearing back, so Ami felt more comfortable with what her partner would be able to handle. It was a repeat of the ball, but it had worked well enough then, and to the best of her knowledge, Ranma still hadn't figured out an appropriate way to counter it. Ami waited for the appropriate verse to time it just right, and then threw Ranma up into the air. Ami timed it for only a single push this time. She had seen how much of a drain a multiple bounce had taken on Ranma at the ball, and she had no desire to wipe her out just prior to what would certainly be an interesting meeting.

As Ranma reached the apex of her flight path, Ami palmed her henshin rod to channel some of the aetheric energy from Mariner Castle up at the airborne Ranma. Ami couldn't get access to very much energy while in this form, but it was enough to keep Ranma suspended in the air.

Unlike the night of the ball, this time Ranma started glowing a brilliant golden color, distinctly visible despite the bright sunlight all around them. She then repeated the same trick from the ball, pushing off with some unknown force, presumably her psionic energy, disrupting the aetheric energy Ami was using and dispersing the force violently in all directions. Unlike the night of the ball, this time the feedback was both strong enough and surprising enough to force Ami's hand out.

Her henshin rod scattered out of her hand and across the temple grounds, settling to a stop several meters away from her.

Ami disregarded the rod. She could retrieve it later. Instead, she quickly calculated Ranma's new arc of flight, and moved to intercept the woman. She had every confidence that Ranma had things under control, but still was prepared to move out of her stylistic landing position to a more vulgar and effective one catch the human projectile in the event it was needed.

Ranma maintained her orientation beautifully and no desperate save was needed. The landing was picture perfect. She looked much less strained this time as well, even taking into account that Ami had only bounced her once this time. Leave it to Ranma to figure out a better counter in a matter of days.

The timing of the landing was perfect as well, the final echoes of Minako's melody fading all around them.

As compared to the applause she was accustomed to, the silence surrounding them was a bit eerie. This was broken when Usagi ran forward, calling out, "That was amazing, Ami-chan. Where did you learn how to do that? You too, Minako-chan. I knew you wanted to be an idol, but I didn't know you were that good."

"It's a long story," Ami answered the approaching blonde whirlwind of energy. She had forgotten how excitable Usagi could be. "A very long story. It actually has to do with our trip into that portal and this meeting."

Mamoru had walked forward as well, taking a position just to the side of Usagi. He cast some unreadable glance towards Ranma, who returned an equally inscrutable one back.

"It does?" Usagi asked, suddenly puzzled.

"Yes, it does," Ranma answered as Ami walked over to pick up her wayward henshin rod. Ranma then called out, "You can come out too, Rei-chan."

Rei emerged from behind the tree, looking slightly sheepish. A quick glance at Minako showed that her blonde friend hadn't noticed Rei either. That made Ami feel a bit better that she hadn't noticed the shrine maiden herself earlier.

"Then why don't you tell us now? We're at the meeting," Usagi pressured Ami.

"Why don't we wait for Akane-san and..." Minako said, and then slightly hesitated, "... the others to show up. That way we only have to tell the story once."

Ami agreed. Maybe by then, Ranma would have figured out whether to tell the story of Setsuna as well.

* * *

Last Updated: November 2, 2014


	13. Chapter 25 and Original Outline

Chapter 25:

It was somewhat like a round peg in a square hole, but that wasn't quite right. It wasn't quite that bad. A rhomboid peg in a square hole, maybe.

It was the best analogy Ami could think of as she sat in class, listening to the teacher. The long trip she had taken to the Moon Kingdom, and the many years she had lived there, had changed her, but not so much that she couldn't force herself back into her original shape. It took a continuous effort, but she could make herself fit into that square hole which Japanese teenage life demanded.

She was sorely tempted to just leave school entirely. The mathematics and science lessons were a complete waste of time. Most of it was just a repeat of what she had been taught prior to her trip to the past, and the parts which were new were far from difficult. In fact, Ami had actually derived many of the same formulas herself over the years with the help of Spinel and the others. The literature and humanities classes weren't quite as bad, but they really weren't her major focus of interest. Overall, Ami found she received very little benefit from the teachers' instructions in the classes she was forced to attend.

Maybe in a few months, once things had settled more, she could start considering other options. Maybe there was some test she could take to place out of school or something. That would be for later, though. In the meantime, she had to maintain the charade for her mother and for the population at large.

Revisiting the analogy, even better than a rhomboid peg, Ami felt more like a rectangular peg. It was like a square, only so much more. She knew more, was more, than before that long trip to the Moon Kingdom. Granted it was a rectangle with a missing...

Ami, bit down hard on that thought before the lump in her throat could form. Don't think about him. It would do no good to start crying again, especially here. Thing of something else; something positive.

There were some silver linings to the situation. As the years had progressed in the Moon Kingdom and their respective responsibilities had grown, Ami had seen less and less of both Ranma and Minako. They cherished the times they could meet, but there just weren't enough hours in a week to spend much time together. Since returning to Tokyo, Ami was able to see both of them much more frequently. She now had a chance to meet Ranma maybe two or three times a week, and she saw Minako almost daily. It was nice, and it was an especially timely change of circumstances, given how lonely she felt since the loss of...

No, no, no. She forced herself to change track again. She looked for something else to focus on; something safe. The book in front of her. Geodesic deviation. It was a nice, safe topic with which she could engage her mind.

It was a shame that none of the classes here taught such interesting concepts. There was so much more available in this world beyond the basics the teacher kept droning on about.

The Moon Kingdom had known more than 20th century Tokyo on many subjects. Aetheric manipulation, transmaterialization, metafigurine. However, it was equally true that they knew things here that the people in the Moon Kingdom hadn't even known they didn't know. Pseudo-Riemannian manifolds, energy conditions, Minkowski spacetime. These could have solved so many roadblocks they had encountered while on the Moon. And all of that was from reading a single book. It had referenced other books, which in turn referenced others.

Ami had a reading list all written out, and it was expanding by the day. Her major bottleneck was the speed with which Ranma could help her borrow them from the Mizuharo University library, seeing how that was the only nearby library which stocked the majority of the titles she was looking for.

A lesser bottleneck was the speed of mail. She had started some correspondences with a couple of the authors of those books, and the return messages had seemed promising. She could imagine in the future, as her correspondences developed, that the delay needed to transport some of those letters around the world would become a greater issue. However, for now, she had more than enough books to keep herself occupied between missives.

So, as dictated by the square hole of her old life, Ami spent her time in school, diligently learning. However, learning was not the same thing as paying attention to the teacher. In the humanities she had to pay some attention, as learning about the great literature of the Tokugawa Shogunate was something outside the realm of her expertise. However, for the sciences, and especially in mathematics, she would instead focus instead on whatever book was at the top of her reading list.

Never mind that it must have been obvious to everybody in the room, including the teacher, that she was reading a different book to everybody else. More than half of her reading list was even in a foreign language. However, as long as she answered all the questions correctly, not even the teachers bothered to question what the school genius was doing. It still barely managed to fit into that square hole, at least to the extent that nobody questioned it directly.

One thing that Ami regretted, though, was not having Spinel around to consult with. Ami had always been a bit more for the experimental, practical side of science. She could do the theoretical aspects of research as well, but Spinel was the person who really shone in that area. She had always been good at synthesizing large, abstract theories and understanding their implications. More importantly, she had been even better at figuring out the discrepancies and oversights of a broad sweeping conjecture. Ami intuitively felt there were holes in the theories she was learning about, but it would take her time to figure out why she felt that way. If Spinel had been around to bounce ideas off, Ami was sure that that time would be halved, at least.

Ami was so lost in thought contemplating how a Lorentz boost would affect the representation of a collection of events on a spacetime curvature and the practical implications of that transformation that she barely noticed the teacher calling out, "Mizuno-san."

"Mizuno-san," Ishida called out a second time, louder. Ami wondered who that was, and why he or she didn't answer.

With a sudden flash, Ami realized that that was her. She looked up from her book at the teacher and said, "Yes."

"Mizuno-san, can you tell us the implication of these formulas?" Ishida asked, tapping the chalkboard to his side. It was fairly normal for a teacher to occasionally ask a question to make sure she was actually paying attention.

Ami obediently stood up, looked at the diagrams on the board, and did some quick calculations in her head.

"It means that at a given distance, all objects will accelerate at the same rate due to gravitational pull, irrespective of their mass," she recited.

Of course that was assuming it was in a fully Hilbert compliant environment, and that the prevalent aetheric energy, life energy, and all the other forces that Ami had mentally classified as known dark energy were orthogonal to the plane in question. None of that was marked.

"Very good," Ishida said.

Ami sat back down, and returned to her book.

A rectangular peg into a square hole. It could be made to fit, but only painfully.

Meanwhile, she slowly tried to expand that hole ever so slightly so that it wasn't quite as much of a stretch to fit into. People changed all the time. She just tried to give the appearance of changing faster.

"Stand. Bow," the class representative announced, signaling the end of class.

Ami stood up, as expected, and bowed, as expected as well. Lunch was next, and that meant that Minako was on her way to meet Ami along with Usagi and Makoto, and probably Haruka and Michiru as well. That should be fun. She had the most amusing piece of news for her fellow time traveler.

"Onigiri again?" Usagi complained, interrupting Ami's introspection. "Mom is so boring."

Ami had never realized how immature Usagi and Makoto were. They were probably no less mature than she had been when she was their age, and definitely no less mature than Minako had been, but that had been years ago. She found it far harder to relate to them now than she could have ever imagined before being thrust into this situation. Haruka and Michiru as well, although for different reasons.

"You can have some of my lunch, I made extra," Makoto said, bringing out her customarily enormous lunch box. "Do you want any, Ami...chan?"

There had been the most momentary of hesitations before she had said the "chan."

With the revelation of their strange trip through time, the relationship Ami and the other two unwilling time travelers had with the rest of the Sailor Senshi had changed. But that was fine. They would just need to find a new relationship. It was a bit awkward for a while, but Ami was sure they'd figure something out eventually.

"No, I'm fine with my sandwiches," Ami said. It had taken her enough time and experiments to put together something which was fairly tasty, after all. She hadn't realized how much she had relied on certain common ingredients and spices until her nearest source of them was hundreds of thousands of kilometers and who knew how many millenniums away.

* * *

Minako was on her way to meet Ami and the others for lunch when something caught her eye. It wasn't anything too special, just a boy with long hair, but something about him struck her as a bit odd. Something wasn't quite right. He kind of reminded her of Ranma, in some strange way. She decided to follow her hunch and took a detour to follow him. She found out moments later that his name was apparently Yaten and that he was probably a celebrity of some sort, given how several people, mostly girls, kept approaching him.

She didn't bother to hide herself as she followed, there being no real reason to do so, so she wasn't at all surprised when she turned a corner to find him standing there, staring directly at her. He said curtly, "I'm not going to eat your lunch."

"Okay. That's a relief, I guess," Minako said, a bit confused. Of the things she had expected Yaten to say, reassurance that he wasn't going to steal her meal was not one of them.

"I see. Well, if you want an autograph, make it quick. I'm a busy person," Yaten said coldly.

"Why would I want an autograph?" Minako asked.

"You mean you don't know who I am?" Yaten asked sharply.

Whoever he was, he definitely wasn't the most friendly person Minako had ever met. That was fine, though. Minako had dealt with worse before. Interesting people came in all different forms, and Minako was growing increasingly sure that Yaten classified as an interesting person.

"Not really, although I take it you're an important personality of some sort, seeing how everybody else is acting around you," Minako said.

Yaten stared a bit, and then said, "I don't think I've ever heard anybody say it quite like that, but yes, that's one way to put it. So, if you don't want to give me your lunch, and you don't want my autograph, then why are you following me?"

"I'm not sure, actually. It's just, you remind me of a friend of mine," Minako said. "Do you maybe practice martial arts or something?"

A look of shocked surprise crossed Yaten's face. He hastily asked, in a much less frosty way than before, "A girl I remind you of? Where is she? Can you introduce us?"

Well, that cemented it. Yaten definitely classified as an interesting person.

"It's funny how you assume my friend is a girl," Minako observed.

"Well, of course," Yaten said, somewhat more composed than before. "It's natural for girls our age to have more girl friends than boy friends. Or is your friend a boy? Maybe a boyfriend, for somebody as cute as you?"

It was fast thinking and a deft explanation, plus the distracting flattery, but Minako knew enough to see that that wasn't the real explanation. There was definitely something deeper going on here. It probably would be good to introduce them, then, albeit for different reasons. Ranma was good at figuring out people's secrets.

"No, you're right, she's a girl," Minako said. If Yaten was looking for a girl, then it was better to offer him what he wanted. "I was just wondering why you assumed that. When and how do you want to meet?"

"You mean she doesn't attend school here?" Yaten asked, a bit surprised.

"No. She's a bit older. She's already graduated," Minako said.

"Why not meet at the studio then?" Yaten suggested. He handed over a business card, proclaiming him as a member of The Three Lights. "The address is on the bottom there. Do you think we can meet today after school? Who knows? If she's as cute as you are, then maybe we could sign you both up for a contract."

Offering a bit of bait to try to speed things up too. Not the most elegant job, but it might serve to entice a less suspicious person. It wasn't necessary, though. Minako was just as eager that Ranma meet him. She said, "I'll check. I think she's free, but if not today, then tomorrow, definitely. I'll be sure to let you know. I assume I can reach you at the number on the card?"

"Yes. Just tell them that I said I thought you showed promise. The name's Yaten, by the way. They'll put you through to me or somebody else who can arrange things," Yaten said. He handed over a CD case as well, saying, "Have your friend take a listen to our latest song as well. I'd like to hear what you both think of it next time we meet."

"Okay, will do," Minako said, taking the offered object. She wasn't sure she actually had a CD player, but that shouldn't be too much of an issue. Most likely at least one of the Sailor Senshi would.

"Sorry, but I need to go. I'm looking forward to hearing from you," Yaten said. He then walked off in a decided hurry.

Minako couldn't help but feel that something important had just happened. However, she didn't think she could do anything else about it for now. She wasn't nearly as good at reconnaissance and information gathering as Ranma was, and it wasn't like her network here was even a fraction as developed as it had been on the Moon. Also, lunch was still waiting, and she still wanted to try out the latest results of her experiments on Ami.

Project Jula Berry Juice. It was relatively inconsequential, but Minako had way too much boredom-filled time to spare, and it was something to do. She thought her mixture was a bit off and that it needed something like nisau to add a bit of extra kick to it, not that she had any idea where to get anything like that in Tokyo, but she was curious to hear Ami's opinion as well.

Minako returned to her previous path of heading to the tree they had decided to use as a meeting place for lunch. Unsurprisingly, considering her detour, the others were already there.

Ami was eating a sandwich and seemed to be rather disengaged from the conversation at hand. Her face had a hint of splotchyness to it and she didn't look nearly as energetic as she had usually been on the Moon. Normally Minako would have asked what was wrong, but given recent circumstances, she already knew, and there wasn't much she could do about it. Ami seemed to be working through things well enough on her own as time went by. However, Minako still made a mental note to check up on her friend later in the day in a more private venue.

"He reminds me of Mamoru-san," the girl with her hair in a ponytail was saying as Minako approached. Makoto. The tough tomboy with an equally prominent feminine side.

"No way. Mamo-chan's way better," the girl with twin buns in her hair and twin ponytails said. Usagi. The immature princess with a seriousness normally hidden by her youthful demeanor.

"You don't mind if I take Seiya-kun all for myself, then," Makoto declared.

"You'll need to fight off tens of thousands of other fangirls," the tall girl with short hair said. Haruka. The brash and fiercely protective race car driver.

"You sound almost envious," the girl with long, wavy hair said. Michiru. The mature and elegant violinist, who tragically ended up with a Jusenkyo curse.

"How could I be when I have you, Michiru?" Haruka asked, earning an approving look from Michiru.

"That's fine. I can take them. This must be fate. After all, they came to this school, and Seiya-kun looks just like my old boyfriend," Makoto insisted as Minako took a seat in the circle between her and Ami.

"That looks delicious. Did you make that all yourself, Makoto-chan?" Minako asked.

Makoto had a large box filled with various culinary confections, like octopus-shaped sausages, and fruits cut into the shapes of stylized bunnies.

"I did," Makoto said proudly. She offered the box towards Minako and said, "Here, try some."

"Thanks," Minako said. She took one of the pieces of fruit and popped it into her mouth. The slice of apple was sweeter than she remembered, but it didn't have half as much of a tart flavor as she had expected. It was a bit unusual to her tongue, but it was quite tasty. She said, "It's delicious too. It must have taken you forever to make."

"No. Not too long. Just an hour or so," Makoto said.

"Very impressive," Minako said, nodding. "By the way, do any of you have a CD player?"

"A CD player? What for?" Michiru asked.

"Somebody gave me some CD to listen to, but I don't have a player," Minako said.

"I have one at home. You can come by after school to listen," Usagi offered.

"Thanks, but it'll need to be later. I want to find Ranma-chan first to make sure she's there as well," Minako said.

"What? Why?" Haruka asked.

"I'm not sure why. It's just a hunch. If I had to guess, I'd guess that Ranma-chan will probably figure something out about these Three Lights from this. She always does," Minako said, holding out the CD in question.

Haruka, Makoto, Michiru, and Usagi all looked at her strangely.

More notably, Ami didn't react at all. Minako would have expected some comment from Ami corroborating what she had said, possibly adding an example or something as well. However, Ami stayed silent. That was proof enough for Minako that Ami wasn't paying attention to the conversation. Seeing how they were supposed to be trying to re-establish relations with the other Sailor Senshi, Minako decided to do something about it.

"Ami-chan," Minako said, turning to her friend, "are you planning on joining us for lunch?"

"Oh, Minako-chan. Sorry. I was just thinking about energy conditions and if they are applicable to some of the ideas I've been toying with for aetheric energy storage units," Ami said.

Minako took a look at the others in the circle. Michiru was tilting her head with a curious look on her face, whereas the others looked just as baffled as Minako felt. Well, she had just the thing to bring things to a more general topic everybody could relate to.

"I see. Well, here, try this. I'd love to hear your opinion," Minako said as she pulled out a thermos and several cups.

"What's that?" Usagi asked.

"I'm trying to recreate a drink called jula berry juice. It's something we drank on the Moon all the time, but since we don't have any jula berries around here..." Minako said with a shrug, leaving the obvious conclusion unspoken. "Want to try some? I brought enough for everybody."

"Count me in," Makoto said.

Haruka and Michiru shared a look, and then both said, "Sure."

"Sounds like fun," Usagi said.

Minako poured the first cup, and handed it to Makoto. As she did so she said, "Now, it's still a work in progress, so don't judge me too harshly."

"I won't. Thanks," Makoto said. She took the cup, took a drink, and then spat it out to the side, coughing harshly.

"You drink that?" Makoto gasped out between coughs.

"I guess it's a bit strong. Sorry I didn't warn you," Minako said. She turned to Haruka and Michiru and asked, "Still want to try?"

"O..of course," Haruka said, under the watchful gaze of Michiru. However, her thanks was decidedly muted as she took the cup from Minako.

Haruka took a hesitant sip from the cup. She didn't spit it out, but her face sharply puckered in reaction. A few seconds later, after she had recovered, she said, "That is strong. Here. Your turn, Michiru."

Michiru took the cup from Haruka like it was a grenade. However, seeing how she had pressured Haruka into trying a drink, she was stuck as well. She took a tiny sip. Her face took on a strong pucker as well and she started coughing. In self-defense, she put the cup down before she spilled it.

"Here's a cup for you too, Usagi-chan," Minako offered to Usagi.

"No, Usagi-chan," Makoto quickly interrupted. "Trust me, you really don't want to try it."

"If you say so, Makoto-chan," Usagi said quickly. She pulled her hand back and looked relieved for having been saved by one of her protectors, albeit in a less conventional way.

"Suit yourself. Here, Ami-chan. What do you think?" Minako asked, offering the same cup she had poured for Usagi to Ami.

Ami took the cup and, without hesitation, took a large drink. As she did so, the others stared carefully at her face, undoubtedly trying to determine if Minako was playing some large, crude joke on them. However, Ami went through none of the theatrics that the other three had. After she finished swallowing, she said, "It's not quite right. It's not spicy enough, and it's missing something. Like that flavor you get when you simmer nisau into a soup."

"Yeah, I was thinking something similar, but no idea how to get anything like that around here, unless you happen to have some hidden away somewhere I don't know about," Minako said.

"True. That could be a bit of a problem," Ami agreed. She took a second drink, swished it around in her mouth, and added, "Besides that, it needs a bit of something else as well, like supathu or some such."

"I hadn't noticed that, but now that you mention it, it's a good point," Minako agreed. So she now had two unobtainable spices she needed, not just one. That was just lovely.

Ami took a third drink, then shook her head as she said, "It's missing something else too, but I don't know how to describe it. You might need to ask Ranma-chan. She was always better in the kitchen than I was."

"That's a good idea. I'll need to talk to her later today about some things, anyway," Minako agreed, already thinking ahead to discussing Yaten with Ranma and planning the best way to handle the situation.

"Still, it's pretty good for what it is. Mind if I have some more?" Ami asked.

"Sure," Minako said, pouring another cup for Ami.

"So, you really did drink stuff like that on the Moon?" Makoto asked, vaguely in shock.

"That's what I said, isn't it?" Minako said.

"What kind of life did you live up there?" Haruka asked.

"It's an acquired taste," Minako said with a shrug. "Oh, what I wouldn't give to have just five minutes with Spinel-chan's garden."

"If you manage it, I could use some rineri myself," Ami agreed. "Actually, that reminds me. Take a look at this, Minako-chan."

Ami handed over her Mercury Computer. 

"What is it?" Minako asked as she took it.

Ami explained, "It's just something I found while looking around in the control room computer yesterday. I was searching for when and how they had reconfigured the castles to allow for the storage of corporeal objects in non-traditional spaces. You know, like we had been trying to do for years but could never crack. While there, I..."

"What!" Minako exclaimed as she saw what was on the screen.

"What is it?" Usagi asked.

"This. Here," Minako said, pointing at the computer. "As quoted by Aquamarine, the last prophecy bespoken by the great oracle Minako-sama was, 'When the Kin of Silence joins the Daughter of Earth, the Circle Of Planets shall be complete once more.' What is this?"

Ami gave an impish laugh at Minako's response, which was undoubtedly the intended reaction. That was a good sign for her friend's mental state, at least.

"I thought you might like that, Minako-sama," Ami said, emphasizing the last. "Apparently the Terra Kingdom had a group of people they called Seers who found out about us centuries after we left. They spent a great deal of time combing through the old records of our lives to try to come up with prophecies of the future. That was one of my favorite ones. 'Last prophecy,' they called it, seeing how it was supposedly the last meaningful comment on the future any of us had ever outright said. It sounds so grandiose, doesn't it?"

"You were an oracle, Minako-chan? Incredible," Usagi said. "What's that prophecy mean?"

"I don't know. I never said anything like it," Minako answered.

"They had this big analysis of the history of the quote and what it all probably meant, but from what I can figure out, it basically traces back to what you said back at Aquamarine-chan's, just before we disappeared," Ami said.

"So I did say something like that?" Minako asked, genuinely confused. "What did I say?"

"Remember how you said something about how I was comparing Setsuna-chan to Sailor Saturn bringing the Silence," Ami explained.

"Vaguely," Minako said, "but what does that have to do with some circle of planet or some such?"

"Apparently the Seers in the Terra Kingdom managed to figure out that Terra was also our Earth, hence their calling Ranma's daughter the 'Daughter of Earth.' Between that, the time which had elapsed since the events in question, Aquamarine-chan's misremembering our discussion of a temporal causal loop as us talking about some circle of some sort, and some creative interpretation, you end up with that," Ami said.

A strange look crossed the faces of Haruka, Makoto, Michiru, and Usagi. Intellectually, they all had already known of Ranma's and Setsuna's relationship, it having been one of the numerous things they discussed at the group meeting they had had after the travelers had returned to Tokyo, but that was very different to emotionally accepting it. Apparently none of them was quite comfortable with the idea that Ranma had been a mother. Minako wasn't sure if it was because they viewed Ranma as being about their age, if it was because they viewed Ranma as being male, or if it was because Ranma's daughter was the vaunted Setsuna. Probably some combination of all three. In that sense, it might have been good that Setsuna hadn't actually been at that Sailor Senshi meeting, as it might have disturbed things a bit too much. Minako didn't pay them too much attention, though. They'd eventually grow accustomed to it.

"I see," Minako said. "And the Terra Kingdom really took that stuff seriously?"

"Apparently. Another one I liked was, 'The kiss of the Goddess of Love will foretell the destruction of all her partner holds dear,'" Ami said, with a quirky smile.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," Minako lamented. Unfortunately she knew exactly what that referred to. Another civilization, another era, and that rumor still wouldn't die.

"What's that supposed to mean, Ami-chan?" Usagi asked.

Ami started explaining, "You see, there was this..."

"No!" Minako shouted, cutting her off. "We are not starting all that up again."

"Sorry," Ami said to the others with a shrug. "There were other ones too, like, 'The fires of Mercury shall remain everlasting for the impure.'"

"That sounds kind of ominous. Is that some threat of some kind?" Haruka asked.

"As far as I can tell, they're talking about hot water taps," Ami said.

Minako rolled her eyes and said, "And here I thought Tanzanite-dono was pretentious."

"There's a whole mess of them," Ami said. "I can show you how to find them in the control room after my martial arts lesson today, if you want."

"You're going to a martial arts class? But didn't you say you trained a bunch with Saotome-san already?" Makoto asked.

"I did, but I can't exactly tell my mother that. She insisted. She's worried that I might get kidnapped again, and wants to do something to make sure I can defend myself. Today's my first class," Ami said.

"Won't that get in the way of your juku?" Usagi asked.

"It's fine. My mother thought it was more important than the extra studying I'd have in juku for a few days of the week," Ami said. Of course, Minako knew that what Ami was learning in those juku sessions was similar to what she was learning at school, which was to say nothing at all related to what she was supposed to be learning. "Too bad my lessons won't be with Ranma-chan, though. That would have been fun."

The problem was that Ranma wasn't actually licensed to teach martial arts. Technically she hadn't been licensed to teach while they had been on the Moon either, but somehow it had seemed less important back there when they had thought they'd never see anybody they knew ever again and that the school would die out with her if she didn't teach anything. Now that they were back in their original world, the principle of needing to be licensed to teach was much more important to Ranma than before. Given her years of experience in teaching, in perfecting her own abilities, and in essentially founding her own branch of the school, Minako had no doubt that Ranma could get a license in short order, assuming getting a license was even possible from Happosai.

"You mean you won't be learning from Saotome-san?" Usagi asked.

"No, I won't be. Ranma-chan doesn't have an official license to teach yet. Maybe later, if she can find the grandmaster of the school, she can get a license and I'll be able to switch. Or maybe I can seem to learn fast and then just quit once my mother is reassured."

"So where will you be going?" Makoto asked.

"It's with a Kobayashi-sensei. He has a dojo near here, and one of my mother's fellow doctors recommended him," Ami said. "I'm not looking forward to it. It'll be tough."

Minako agreed. It would be tough to hide her true strength and play along without going crazy. Minako wasn't sure she would be able to handle it if she had been forced to attend the classes in the same circumstances Ami was.

"Tough? Won't it be easy after all the stuff Ranma-san has taught you already?" Haruka asked. It was clear that she hadn't heard the same message that Minako had.

"It's more complicated than that," Ami said with a sigh. "If you mean purely physical activity, you're probably right, but that's not what I'm worried about. I'm supposed to have little to no experience with martial arts, so I can't exactly go in there and do things exceptionally well without raising numerous questions about how I already know these things. Also, if I start performing too well, it might call into question the whole story of how I had been kidnapped in the first place. I'll need to act as a neophyte, but that will be really hard to do right, seeing how I've already had a lot of training. It's not natural to make the same mistakes as an inexperienced person. It's like how it's difficult for professional singers to sing like amateurs. They can intentionally sing badly, but people who are skilled can tell the difference. I'll need to somehow be good enough at being bad to fool Kobayashi-sensei and the other people in the class."

Minako suddenly had a good idea. They were trying to re-form some friendships and team bonds, after all. She said, "Maybe one of you can go with Ami-chan. It'd help to have another new student to distract the teacher."

Also, unspoken, was the idea that Ami would also be able to imitate some of their bad behaviors to better emulate a less skilled practitioner of martial arts. She didn't say that, though, seeing how that might be interpreted as an insult against the others.

"Makoto-chan, you like martial arts, don't you?" Usagi asked.

"I do, but I don't know about this," Makoto said.

"Come on, Makoto-chan, it's a great idea. It'll be a good chance to spend some time with Ami-chan, and it'll be a lot of fun. Maybe you could even start practicing with Ranma-san later, too, if he ever gets his teaching license," Usagi said.

"Then why don't you go too, Usagi-chan?" Michiru asked.

"I would, but I have a date with Mamo-chan after school today," Usagi said evasively. Strange how she had been available to help Minako listen to a CD, but somehow this date suddenly took priority as compared to a martial arts lesson. However, Minako didn't call Usagi out on this, and nobody else mentioned it.

"It would certainly help me out a lot if you came for at least my first class, Makoto-chan, but you don't have to if you don't want to," Ami said.

"Oh, why not? It's only one class, right? Who knows? It might be fun," Makoto said.

* * *

Ranma gave out a bright laugh, clutching her stomach. Through this, she declared, "It's... it's just your face looks so weird. It's perfect."

"What?" Tomaru protested back, despite half-facing away from Ranma.

Overcome by her expression of levity, Ranma was forced to sit down on a bench. She then leaned back a bit, playfully kicking her feet up as she did so.

"Hey, everybody. Midori-chan's agreed to do the puppet show!" Ishiro announced animatedly to the small gathering of people, including Ranma and Tomaru.

"Shota-kun always takes Midori-chan's side," Yuu said, again only half-facing the group around her.

"Yeah," Akane agreed. "You love Midori-chan, don't you, Shota-kun?"

"Wh..what are you talking about?" Ishiro asked, turning only his head to face Akane.

"Oh... Shota-kun is shy..." Ranma said humorously. She sprang back to her feet and skipped over to Ishiro. There, she lightly slapped his shoulder with the fan she held in her hand. "What's wrong, Shota-kun? Say something."

"I'm not shy!" Ishiro protested up into the air. "Stop picking on me."

"See?" Ranma declared with a giggle. "He takes everything so seriously."

"Midori-chan!" Ishiro shouted out.

"Okay. Cut, cut," Nobuyoshi announced, interrupting the group. "Much better, Tomaru-san. Ishiro-san, you're still looking way too upset. You're supposed to be with your best friends. Relax and have fun with the teasing. Akane-san, try to look more angry when you say your line. You're jealous, remember?" Nobuyoshi declared. All three named actors nodded at the feedback. "Let's take it again from the, 'Let's go to the party on the 15th.'"

"Sensei," Ishiro protested to Nobuyoshi, "can we take a break?"

"Yeah. We've been at it for an hour already," Yuu agreed.

"Right, it's only been an hour. You kids these days have no dedication," Nobuyoshi said. He then gave a sigh and shook his head. "Fine. I should probably check how Takashi-san, Natsuko-san, and Kouji-san are doing anyway. We'll have a 10 minute break."

With that announcement, the naive frivolity of Midori sloughed away from Ranma, and the world was suddenly a bit less bright, simple, and happy.

It was a bit unfortunate that Ranma was a woman right now. She had been trying to spend more time as a man, even if it still felt remarkably strange. It was a matter of growing accustomed to the form she would probably be spending a substantial portion of her time in the foreseeable future in, seeing how it was her official identity in this world. It was also a matter of respect for Akane. However, seeing how Midori's role was a female one, Ranma didn't mind the excuse to return to her more natural form for the moment.

"Ranma-san, you're amazing. You're totally meant to be an actor. You do a better Midori-chan than I can, and I'm actually a real girl," Ai said to Ranma as Akane approached her.

Ranma had spent a lot of time thinking about how to handle her Jusenkyo curse, and whether she should be open about it or not. There was some value in keeping her two different forms separate, but maintaining multiple personae in close proximity was always tricky, especially for extended periods of time. The fact that Ranma didn't actually have complete control over the transformations just clinched it. She couldn't really see any reason to keep it a secret, either, and it made things much simpler if it was public knowledge. If in the future she needed to start separating her two forms, or if she needed to create alternative identities for whatever reason, she could do so at that time.

"Thanks," Ranma said.

"Don't tell anybody, but I think you're better than even Natsuko-san is," Ai whispered to Ranma.

Ranma knew what Ai was referring to. Natsuko's mannerisms didn't quite carry the personality of either the playfully innocent Midori from the beginning of the play, or the crushed and cynical Midori at the end of it. The most notable issue was her eyes, which never changed throughout the whole plot. That, plus countless other minor discrepancies, some of which Ranma couldn't even verbalize, made it clear to Ranma that Natsuko wasn't entirely authentic. If Ranma had met somebody like that on the Moon, she would have immediately started discretely following that person until she could figure out what was being hid.

"She's right, you know. You really are good. I meant what I said before. You're wasted in physical education," Nobuyoshi said. "Just give me the word, and I'll sponsor your transfer. I'll escalate it up to the dean of the school if I have to. From what I heard, Nao-sensei will support you too, after what you showed her at that rehearsal last week."

"Thanks. You'll definitely be the second person I'll tell if I decide to switch," Ranma said.

"Of course. I wouldn't dream of preempting your wife," Nobuyoshi said with a laugh. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go check how our budding young director and the stars of our show are doing."

As the director walked away, Ranma turned to his wife and said, "You did great, Akane. Your Reiko-chan's gotten much better." She wasn't near good enough to be the star of the show, but her growing vocal abilities, and more importantly her growing confidence, were well on their way to being good enough to fill the minor role she had for the rendition of "Growing Up." When the actual show happened, in about two months, Akane should be more than ready for it.

"Thanks," Akane said in response. "Sorry you got dragged into all of this."

At first Ranma had intended to just watch Akane during some of her rehearsal sessions. It was a reason to spend time with her once-and-current wife to get to know her a bit better. However, on that first day, one of the actors had called in sick, and rather than fill in himself, Nobuyoshi had handed Ranma a copy of the script and asked him to fill in so the practice could continue normally for the others. One thing had led to another, and now her filling in as a placeholder for whomever was missing or was a bottleneck for rehearsals was a regular occurrence whenever Ranma did come to visit. Currently that meant filling in for the star of the show, Natsuko, who instead was busy practicing the rejection scene which formed the climax of the play with her co-star, Kouji.

"That's okay. It's fun, and if I can help you and everybody else out, then so much the better," Ranma said.

Getting to know Akane was a slow process. The intellectual analysis of character, behaviors, and daily patterns was habitual for Ranma. She might have lacked Minako's knack of making friends and influencing people, but she had gotten good at understanding what people were thinking and feeling throughout the years, even if she didn't always know how to handle it. However, forming an emotional connection with Akane was much less intuitive. It was especially uncomfortable to let Akane, a practical stranger despite being her wife, get to know the real Ranma.

"How'd you get to be so good?" Tomaru asked Ranma.

Years of practice, and knowing that countless lives, not in the least her own, depended on doing everything perfectly, sometimes for weeks or longer on end. The time she had been caught by Scapolite had been a particularly terrifying and tragic demonstration on the importance of doing things right. By this point, it was natural to slip on and slip off different personae as the situation demanded. Not that Ranma would ever say that, especially in front of a group of casual acquaintances.

Instead, Ranma just gave a non-committal shrug.

Ranma noticed Akane was on the verge of saying something, probably something self-defensive in a humorously insulting way, but had then thought better of it. Akane instead said, "It sounded like you were really thinking about what Nobuyoshi-sensei was saying. Are you actually considering switching your degree?"

"I'm thinking about it. There's more to life than just martial arts," Ranma said.

"Are you serious?" Akane asked. Surprise was so clear in her voice and face that Ranma expected everybody had been able to read that one. It seemed like Ranma had once again just broken the mold from what Akane had expected.

In many ways, Akane had the harder job between the two of them, getting to know the new Ranma, as memories of the Ranma from before her life in the Moon Kingdom would still be fresh in her mind to compare against and interfere with her efforts.

"Why not? If Ranma-san joins acting, then you two could spend all day together," Ai said. "It would be so romantic."

"That sounds like a terrible idea," Ranma disagreed. Anger grew in Akane. That wasn't good. Ranma quickly continued, explaining, "I know several marriages where the husband and wife worked together, and a lot of them fell apart. Many people can't stand spending all day, every day with a person. It's much harder than it seems like it should be, no matter how much in love you are."

Akane nodded a bit at his explanation, her anger dissipating for the most part.

Tomaru added, "I guess, but there are other groups too. A friend of mine is in a different production entirely. They're putting on some play about a vampire."

Of course they were, as evidenced by the numerous posters which had been strewn about campus advertising the upcoming show. Also, for those willing to infer a bit, as Ranma had somewhat implied earlier with her comments about her consideration of switching degrees despite thinking spending all day with Akane every day was a terrible idea. All of that should have been clear enough to those who had been paying attention, although Ranma's personal knowledge of that play would probably be less clear to the population at large. However, she wouldn't be surprised if somebody in the group already knew that, especially as they were all pursuing acting degrees and thus were in that particular circle of gossip. In fact, she was a bit surprised Tomaru didn't already know, seeing how the plight of Nao's group was fairly newsworthy and he apparently had a friend in that production.

Tomaru continued, irrespective of Ranma's thoughts, "I think it's called 'Karumeru,' or something."

"I think the play you're referring to is called 'Carmilla,'" Ranma said for their benefit. "It's about a lonely girl named Maria, and the vampire who preys upon, befriends, and then betrays her. I know all about it already."

As she spoke, she pulled out the pen which had been holding her hair in the bun Midori usually wore it in, letting her hair fall loose. She shook her head a bit to aid it in settling naturally as she lightly tossed the pen onto a nearby desk. She also dropped the fan she still kept in her hands onto the bench next to her.

Ranma then adopted the fragile look Carmilla had during the daytime, leaning heavily on the bench next to her. All of a sudden, the world seemed darker; colder; lonelier; and much, much scarier than it had moments ago.

"There was a time I used to like roses. Back then, when I still had my health, I used to love walking in the woods. Playing in the sunlight. In the streams. In the fields," Ranma said in a soft, strained voice which still somehow managed to project across the whole room. She forced herself to stand on her own two feet and laboriously walked a few steps.

"I loved it all. I had so many friends. They used to compliment me on being a good dancer. I was truly happy." She stopped, reached down, and picked up the pen, now an imaginary rose, from the table it had settled on. She slowly brought it to her face.

"There was a time I used to like roses. Oh, how I loved them." Her arm fell forward again, lacking the energy to carry even the slight burden of the rose. The flower negligently slipped away from her loose hand and dropped carelessly to the floor.

"But those days are no more." She felt so very alone, except for the bright spot of Maria, her one and only friend. A friend who was always on the verge of disappearing, if she ever learned the truth. A friend she was slowly being forced to kill, but who would live on within her forever. Silent tears slowly fell from her eyes.

And then it was over. The dark, dichotomous world of Carmilla evaporated away and she was back to normal. She wiped the tears away from her now clear eyes.

Akane, Ai, Tomaru, and a just-returned Yuu stared, mesmerized by the performance.

"What was that?" Yuu asked in surprise, being the first to break out of it. If only she could use that same voice while on stage.

"Where did you pick that up?" Akane asked as well. Surprised again. It seemed Ranma was full of unexpected surprises for Akane this session.

It was all too common a question asked of Ranma, but this time there was an easy answer she had no problem giving. Of course, Nobuyoshi had literally told them not 10 minutes ago. Who did they think Nao was, or what that rehearsal had been about? All of the posters advertising the upcoming performance of "Carmilla" had Nao's name on them as well, after all. However, it seemed like they either hadn't noticed, or hadn't put the pieces together.

"Nobuyoshi-sensei asked me to help out a friend of his with her play last week. That's that Nao-sensei he mentioned earlier. Her group is having a bout of bad luck. Apparently Yuriko-san, the actress playing Carmilla, broke her leg. Normally her part would just be covered by an understudy, but Rumi-san got infectious mononucleosis and is bedridden. Nobuyoshi-sensei asked if I could help them out like I do here sometimes," Ranma explained. As she spoke, she reached down, picked up the pen on the ground, wiped it clean, and started restoring her hair back to the tight bun Midori usually wore it in.

"That does sound like bad luck. When did all this happen?" Ai asked.

"I got involved about a week ago," Ranma said. Just like Nobuyoshi had said, or at least heavily implied, a few minutes earlier as well.

"Wait. You're that weird, acting genius Risaki-chan was telling me about?" Tomaru asked, shocked.

Ranma gave another shrug. She hadn't heard that one at the rehearsals, but wouldn't be surprised if somebody had called her that.

"Does that mean that you'll be playing Carmilla in the play?" Akane asked.

"I don't know yet. I'm supposed to find out today," Ranma said. "Nao-sensei wanted to ask the others in the group if anybody wanted to take the role first. It is the biggest part in the play after Maria, after all, so I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people want it. If nobody else is interested, though, I think I will."

It might be a good thing as well if nobody else wanted the role. The play would be a good test to see what she really felt about acting and if she really wanted to change her degree. Of course there were numerous other degrees she was considering as well, including staying with physical education, but if she were to switch, acting was one of the degrees she was partial to. However, for the moment, acting was just a fun use of her skills.

"And when were you planning on telling me all of this?" Akane asked. Oops, mad again. Only slightly this time. Ranma wasn't quite sure why.

"I was planning on mentioning it at dinner after I found out if I was going to be in the play or not," Ranma said. Now that she thought about it, she probably should have mentioned something to Akane earlier. After all, she had already mentioned it to Ami and Minako. Maybe she should have invited Akane to a rehearsal as well. Well, she knew Akane's afternoon today was clear, so maybe she would be interested. "Actually, Akane, do you want to go to rehearsal to see later today? It's at 2:00."

"Sure," Akane said, somewhat mollified.

This relationship stuff was complicated. It was slow going, both getting to know Akane, and letting Akane get to know her. However, Akane was understanding, if a bit idiosyncratic at times, and things were proceeding apace. Did Ranma love her? Certainly not. Not yet. But Ranma could see the possibility of love growing at some point in the future, and it certainly wasn't unreasonable to chase after that possibility.

"Oh, I want to see that show now," Ai said.

"Me too. Are there any tickets left?" Yuu asked.

"Last I heard, there were still tickets available," Ranma said. She walked back and retrieved the fan from the bench she had left it on.

"If you do end up playing in it, we should invite your family to watch. Mine too," Akane said.

"Okay, everybody, break's over. Back to positions. Right. Let's take it from, 'Let's go to the party on the 15th.' Ishiro-san, relax. Akane-san, get angry. Everybody else, just like last time," Nobuyoshi announced. "Whenever you're ready, Tomaru-san."

At this, Ranma let the playfully exuberant jubilation of the innocent Midori from early in the play overtake her. She started bouncing from foot to foot as she crossed the slightly more colorful room back to the starting position of the makeshift stage. Suddenly feeling bored, Ranma started twiddling the fan between her fingers as she waited for the first line in the sequence.

* * *

Ami wore a bright, new, stiff, and maybe even starched dogi, her mother having bought the martial arts clothing the previous weekend for her. She thought it was a bit silly; as if an enemy would be polite enough to allow a change of clothes before a fight. It was much more practical to become accustomed to fighting in normal daily clothing, not that anybody in the room seemed to agree with that assessment. Everybody else, even the teacher and Makoto, wore a dogi as well, albeit all of theirs were much more worn than Ami's. Still, it helped her look the part of a naive new student, and it wasn't like she would be doing anything at the level where what she wore would matter anyway. However, it was a bit scratchy, which was annoying.

More annoying, she was holding herself in a position which was even more stiff than her uniform, it being the supposedly proper ready position for karate. Kobayashi had placed her in that position, right foot about one meter in front and to the side of her left foot, and arms held stiffly forward as well.

Her position was stable, to say the least, but that was its problem. She felt like she had no mobility. If somebody attacked her from behind she wouldn't be able to properly respond, and if somebody swept out one of her legs she wouldn't be able to recover before falling over. It felt wholly wrong to her, and she had to actively fight her instincts to not adjust her stance.

From what she could tell, though, this was the correct position. Or the expected position, at least, judging by how the others held themselves. Ami had strategically placed herself in the back of the classroom. Presumably the teacher and the other students in the class would assume that she had done so because she was shy. In actuality, she had done this to keep herself out of sight for if and when she made a mistake, and because it made it easy for her to watch the others for imitation purposes.

Ami used her position to visibly look over to Makoto, and then conspicuously moved herself as to try to copy the girl's stance and position. It would be a natural thing to do, a complete novice to trying to imitate a somewhat more experienced friend she had come with. What she hoped nobody had noticed was that she was actually going the other way. Rather than trying to copy Makoto's position in an attempt to look better than she was but making accidental mistakes which meant she wasn't quite as adept, Ami was copying it to mask how good she was and made intentional deviations to make her position obviously inferior.

Despite her best efforts at faking being a neophyte, though, she was sure that if Ranma or Minako had been in the room, they would have noticed something was wrong with her acting in a matter of seconds, and then figured out what was wrong a few seconds afterward. The fact that Kobayashi hadn't noticed that anything was amiss with her actions did little to boost Ami's confidence in the abilities of the teacher, but it was convenient in that it made her deception that much easier.

"No, not like that, Mizuno-san. Hold your thumbs this way. If you leave them inside of your fingers you might break them when you punch," Kobayashi said, pulling Ami's hand out and correcting the intentional misplacement.

Great. That was one more thing she could now do properly. Ami's reputation as a fast learner would help immensely in this regard. Granted she had that reputation more for her intellectual pursuits, but there was no reason to think that she couldn't extend it to physical activities as well.

"Try widening your stance a bit, Kino-san," Kobayashi said to Makoto, who stood in front and just to the side of Ami.

Makoto adjusted her position accordingly.

This was despite the fact that the stance was far too static already, in Ami's opinion. Sacrificing even more mobility for a questionable-at-best increase in stability made no sense to her. It just hammered home how very different karate was to the particular type of martial arts Ami herself practiced.

She would never be so presumptuous as to call it the Ami School of Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu, but she definitely had a style of martial arts which was distinctly different to the styles used by Ranma, Minako, Setsuna, and the others back on the Moon. It was more strategic, more analytical, and more intellectual than everybody else she knew. What they all shared in common, though, as could be expected given that Ranma had been either directly or indirectly the teacher of everybody else on the Moon, was the emphasis on mobility, adaptability, and flexibility. She knew karate was more structure-based than Musabetsu Kakuto Ryuu, but she had no idea it was so drastic.

Ami feared it would be a long couple of months to years before she could supposedly have advanced enough to graduate from these classes. Even worse, given how different karate was from what she normally practiced, even as the weeks progressed and she supposedly improved, her task here would get no easier. She would just need to remember to fake different habits. It was most vexing.

"Okay, so this is the starting position of the kata we're going to learn. A kata's a series of moves to practice basic techniques. We'll start with a simple one. This one has 27 steps. First punch out like this," Kobayashi said, taking a stance similar to the one that Ami and Makoto had taken. The rest of the class had joined as well.

The next half of the class went by slowly as Kobayashi proceeded to demonstrate each position of the kata, calling out each step as he did so. He went slowly, and spent the majority of the time ignoring the rest of the class to instead pay attention to Ami and Makoto, making sure the two new students were properly mimicking him as they went. Ami had to force herself to pay attention in the off-chance that she would pick up something new. She didn't.

Finally the kata finally came to an end, and Kobayashi had everybody pair off for some sparring to finish up the class. The change of pace from what had felt like a glacial speed of movement was a relief to Ami. She would still need to restrain herself, but at least she could do things on her own terms.

Makoto was paired with a shorter boy by the name of Jiro, whereas Ami was paired with a noticeably taller girl named Reina. When Kobayashi had paired them, he had told Reina to go a bit easy on the new student, although Reina hadn't actually responded to his comment.

Reina had a snide look of arrogance on her face, which was very disjointed to the amateurish way she held herself. Then again, all of the students here seemed rather amateurish, so Ami wasn't in much of a position to really judge them from each other.

As Ami took the stilted position that Kobayashi had taught earlier, she had a sudden thought. Initially she had had a small hope that she would be able to learn something new from this karate school, but it was becoming rapidly clear to her that she wouldn't. This meant that she really had no reason to stay in the class, except to reassure her mother.

One way to get Kobayashi to reassure her mother might be to quickly develop her apparent skills to the point that the teacher would finally declare that she was good enough to defend herself, which would take months to years. It would be against Kobayashi's financial interests as well, so it might take even longer, assuming it was possible at all. However, there was another option. She could take a page from early Minako and just seem lucky. If she could legitimately say that she could, albeit accidentally, beat all of the other students in the class and the teacher himself, she would have a strong argument for no longer needing to take lessons here. In the process, she might also be able to teach the other students a thing or two by showing holes in their attacks and defenses, and she might even be able to shake the worldview of Kobayashi a bit as well.

With that in mind, Ami started planning. She now had a goal for this sparring session: a decisive but accidental win. Of course the limited move set she had available to her and the artificial limitation of the victory need to appear to be accidental made the goal that much harder, but seeing how defeating Reina would be literally trivial to accomplish without those conditions, that only served to make things more interesting. Given this, the first thing she needed to do was gather information.

Ami threw a painfully slow punch, which Reina... blocked? She had thrown the punch as an experiment to try to figure out the way Reina tended to dodge. That her punch was blocked was somewhat unexpected. With few circumstantial exceptions, dodging was just plain superior to blocking. Ignoring the inherent risk of being hit by the opponent, dodging would also cause the opponent to need to compensate for the lack of anything to stop the kinetic energy of the attack, putting him or her slightly off-balance, assuming the attack wasn't a feint of course. Her punch had been telegraphed enough and slow enough that she had been certain that Reina would have moved out of the way, instead of moving her arms to block the attack.

She tried again, throwing an off-balance and weak kick, which Reina blocked again. So it wasn't just a fluke.

As time progressed and her data set grew, the branching tree of potential attacks, responses, and behavioral quirks grew more certain in Ami's mind's eye.

Ami tripped to the side, avoiding a punch, and hopped a bit behind Reina, appearing to try to regain her balance. She clumsily turned around. If she was right, there should be a kick... there. Ami slid back, in apparent fear, tripped, and landed on the ground, safe from injury.

She finally thought she had the mark of Reina. The vast decision tree of actions, reactions, opportunities, and implications was laid out in Ami's mind's eye. She picked the path which seemed most likely to lead to success and began her task in earnest.

She climbed back to her feet, tentative plan firmly in place. Reina would most likely open with a kick, which Ami could sidestep. Her opponent would then either throw a relatively quick backhand swipe, or twist at the torso while throwing a punch to her gut. If it was the former, Ami would duck under it, and if it was the latter, Ami would coincidentally step backwards. In either case, she would respond by performing a slow roundhouse kick, which Reina would block and move sideways away from. This would put in her in a position where Ami could trip forward and end up behind Reina in the process, whereupon Reina would leave a probably opening to her left as she turned.

Ami continued her dance around Reina, watching her opponent get more and more frustrated with each step. As the decision tree continued to evolve as the fight progressed, Ami saw a potential successful outcome appear, and she started taking the decisive steps necessary to lead to that particular branch.

As she fell around Reina in seemly clumsy panic, Ami noticed Makoto, Kobayashi, and a couple of the other students had stopped what they were doing and were now watching. There was an occasional titter of laughter from the other students as her pratfalls continued, and Ami was forced to draw upon her own Soul of Ice technique to force herself to observe the situation in a clinically detached manner to suppress the grin threatening to break out on her face.

Reina's look of bemusement from the start of the fight had long since turned to frustration, and it was now coming closer to anger. Having fought against Minako before, Ami knew exactly how annoying a ghost-like opponent could be, especially when it looked like they weren't actually doing anything besides getting lucky. This did little to help Reina's form. Her attacks were getting looser, and her defense was getting sloppier with larger and larger holes appearing in it. It was exactly what Ami wanted.

Eventually, Reina threw the haymaker punch Ami had been maneuvering for. It was wild, fostered by an emotional need to do something to finally inflict some pain upon Ami. It was a tremendous punch which would have hurt if it hit, but it was all power and no control. In fact, it was so badly out of place that even if Ami had stood still, Reina would still have missed her. But Ami had no intention of just standing still. Letting one's emotions get that far out of hand was a grievous mistake, and Ami would make sure that Reina would find out exactly why.

Ami intentionally tapped her right foot up behind her left one as she stepped forward, forcing herself into a trip. She flailed forward, seemingly wildly, and with a precisely calibrated amount of force smacked her opponent in the face with the palm of her hand. It was a strong hit and it knocked Reina back and onto the floor. Ami intended it to be enough to make a painful mark but to leave no real injury.

As Reina fell, Ami completed her own self-induced fall just beside her, using her free hand to deftly catch herself. She landed with a large enough impact to look impressive without actually being placed in a position to hurt herself.

Behind her she could hear chortles of laughter desperately trying to be suppressed surrounding the room. Ami quickly scrambled to her feet in a visibly clumsy way and turned to see the results of her actions.

A large red palm print was already visible on Reina's face, and it was growing brighter and larger as she watched. Perfect. It did absolutely nothing to hide the look of loathing which Reina now sported. Ami had no doubt that, if given the opportunity to, Reina would have gladly put one of Ami's arms in a cast. Ami took the opportunity to subtly ease herself into a casual-appearing defensive stance in case things escalated to that point.

"What's going on here?" Kobayashi's voice interrupted, ensuring it wouldn't get to that point. Despite that, Ami didn't relax one whit. "What happened?"

"She... she hit me," Reina immediately accused, apoplectic.

"It was an accident. I tripped. I'm sorry," Ami said with as much innocence as she could. "But I'm confused. Isn't that the point of a sparring match?"

"An accident? You're supposed to fight seriously, not just get lucky while falling. You... just... ugh!" came Reina's retort.

"Calm down," Kobayashi scolded, cutting her off. Reina fell silent, although it was clear she had more she wanted to say, if not actually physically do, to Ami. "I'm sure it was an accident, but if a beginner can hit you like this, even by accident, it means you were being sloppy. You have to always pay attention, no matter who your opponent is."

As Kobayashi continued his lecture towards Reina, Ami came to a conclusion. Playing the part of the incredibly clumsy yet lucky fool was surprisingly fun. With any luck she would be out of the class in the next couple of weeks to months, but in the meantime, rather than being a frustrating waste of time, this class might actually turn out to be an entertaining little diversion. Her original idea of being able to teach the other students, and maybe even Kobayashi, something as well also appeared valid, assuming they actually were paying attention.

Koyabayashi then turned to Ami to continue his lecture targeted to her. Ami prepared to nod at all the right times with an appropriately studious look on her face.

* * *

Minako was bored.

Most of her time back in the Moon Kingdom had been spent doing official business of some sort or another. Beyond just leading the guards, there had always been enough projects which had required supervision and situations which had required handling that she had always been kept busy. Between that and her less official business, like socializing with her numerous friends and the various people who just liked to gossip, her days had always been filled with more things than could reasonably be done by any one person.

Since coming back to Japan, she had none of that. No bureaucracy to oversee and make sure was operating properly, no random problems to look into and help get resolved, and no people dropping by just to chat. Just the long school days filed with various boring trivia that she couldn't bring herself to be interested in.

Suffice it to say, Minako was finding it difficult to reintegrate into her former life.

The other Sailor Senshi and Artemis still seemed generally inclined to treat her as the airhead she had been as a teenager. However, they also had reason to think that she might have changed recently, and at least they were giving her a chance to demonstrate her true capabilities. 

The people who didn't know about her trip through time, including her teachers and classmates, still treated her very much like the stereotypical irresponsible teenage girl she appeared to be. This lack of respect wasn't just limited to the classroom either. Minako had tried getting involved with civil society outside of school, but nobody in Japan really paid any attention to an apparent teenager, especially when that person was a girl. She knew what she was capable of, given her past experiences, so it was just that much more annoying to not be taken seriously.

This left Minako with a great deal of free time on her hands. A great deal of monotonous, boring, tedious, free time. As much as anything, this was her reason for trying to recreate a jula berry juice equivalent. To be clear, she missed the taste and sensation of the beverage, but she wasn't especially dying to have any. It was merely a way to pass the time. If she had anything more meaningful to do, she would have spent her time there instead.

It was the exact opposite problem that Ami had, as they had both discussed countless times before. They both desperately wanted to change their position for the other's. Well, Ami desperately wanted Minako's position. Minako would have somewhat preferred Ami's position, although truth be told, if she were actually in it she probably wouldn't have appreciated it very much. Certainly, neither of them were envious of Ranma. It was true she had substantially fewer obsolete expectations placed upon her than Ami and Minako did, but that was grossly outweighed by her turning male with hot water, and her reunion with a wife she barely knew anymore.

It wasn't like Minako was a hapless victim trapped in her situation either. She had several ideas for more productive things she could do to fill her time. For example, she could train the other Sailor Senshi. Given how most Sailor Senshi fights played out, learning how to throw a punch or kick would be of questionable value, but learning defensive ideas and improving agility and flexibility would certainly be useful, regardless of the nature of combat. Learning tactics and practicing teamwork would be invaluable as well.

Outside of Sailor Senshi related activities, she could possibly start working community service or some other type of non-profit work.

She could even return to her childhood dream of becoming an idol, seeing how she was being treated as a child again. She did have a contact in the industry now, after all, what with that strange conversation and offer from Yaten earlier.

Really, there were any number of things she could do, each with its own benefits and drawbacks.

She was in the process of weighing these options, and several others, carefully, trying to decide which direction she wanted to go. However, she knew she would need to decide on something soon; not because of a specific deadline but instead out of sheer boredom.

In the meantime, when not experimenting in the kitchen or planning her future, Minako filled her time by wandering around the city. She was accustomed to knowing every street, alley, nook, cranny, building, and atmosphere of both the palace and Serenitatis, and she wanted to regain that same familiarity with Tokyo. It passed the time, and for at least half of the things she was interested in doing, that information would be useful.

Right now she was looking around in a slightly disused part of Tokyo. She wasn't exceptionally worried despite the slightly abandoned ambiance around her. She knew more than enough to take care of herself from mundane threats without even needing to transform into Sailor Venus.

Even so, it wasn't the most savory part of the city, so it came as a mild surprise when a familiar voice called out, "Minako-chan!"

Minako turned to face the shout, and saw a cute couple approaching her. The man she didn't recognize, although he did seem familiar for some reason. He was rather attractive, despite his slightly ill-fitting clothing. The woman, on the other hand, she did recognize. Haruka. That was the cue which allowed her to figure out who the man was. It was Michiru.

"Hey!" Minako called out towards the pair with a wave. Once they were close enough that she could talk without shouting at the top of her lungs, she asked, "What's with the male form?"

"Somebody sprayed Michiru while watering some plants on the second floor," Haruka answered. "I can't believe how careless some people are."

"Don't blame that woman. It's like Saotome-san said; water seeks me out or something," Michiru said, his voice surprisingly calm.

"If this happens so often, why don't you bring a bottle of hot water with you?" Minako asked.

"You mean like this one?" Haruka asked irately, holding out a thermos with its open cap down, obviously empty.

"And this one?" Michiru asked as well, likewise holding out an empty thermos.

"Oh," Minako said, a mixture of chagrin and disbelief in her voice.

"I'm starting to see what Setsuna-san meant about Jusenkyo having some plan or something. Sometimes it feels like there is a higher power deciding I should be male, and there's nothing I can do to change that," Michiru said.

"Then why bring the hot water at all?" Minako asked.

"It's not always. Usually it's just a random splash and I can change back without a problem, but sometimes it seems like I can't get hot water fast enough," Michiru explained.

"I tried carrying a backpack full of it for a while, and even that wasn't enough one time," Haruka added.

"If that's the case, then why do you think Jusenkyo wants you to be male right now?" Minako asked.

"It's not like we get some memo or something every time Michiru transforms," Haruka swiftly answered, speaking with the slight scoff of somebody explaining what seemed to be obvious to somebody perceived to be less intellectually advanced.

"We're not even sure it's true. It's just the conclusion we came to based on something Setsuna-san said a while ago, plus that time we went through a whole backpack of water. If it really is true, then Jusenkyo must have a really twisted sense of humor sometimes, like that noodle incident a few weeks ago," Michiru said with a blanch, matched by a blanch Haruka had on her face as well.

That piqued Minako's interest. Reading between the lines, it was obvious there was a story of some kind here. She asked, "Really? What happened?"

Haruka and Michiru exchanged a glance, causing Michiru to blush a fairly prominent red.

"Never mind that," Michiru said. "If nothing else, I've learned how bad Saotome-san must have had it for the past few years. I feel bad for how casually we treated his curse."

"Speaking of which, you seem to be taking it all rather well," Minako said. She vaguely recalled it being exceptionally trying when Michiru had first received the curse. Minako didn't remember any specifics, just lots of crying and lots of carefully watched words around Michiru. Certainly she hadn't remembered this well composed young man, without anything too notable about him except his slightly damp and slightly ill-fitting clothing.

"I won't deny that it's still hard, but when you four disappeared, we thought you had all died. It kind of put things into perspective, if you know what I mean," Michiru explained. He reached over and gave Haruka a small hug as he spoke.

"I see what you mean," Minako said. She did know what he meant, too, and there really wasn't anything else to say.

"So, what are you doing around here?" Haruka asked in what seemed to Minako to be a ham-handed attempt to change the subject.

Minako was more than happy to let the subject change and said, "Nothing too special. Just looking around and trying to relearn the area."

"I see," Haruka said in response. "I should have..."

What Haruka should have was to remain unspoken, as Minako roughly shoved her and Michiru to the side. She used the counterweight to push herself to the ground in the other direction. She hoped her intuition was right, or she would have a lot of explaining to do.

"Galactica Spear!" a voice shouted out from behind her as they fell. Minako turned as she landed, and rolled to her feet.

A strange woman stood just behind Minako, her arms held out. She had on a fluffy top and some dark shorts. More unusually, she had two giant mouse-like ears and what appeared to be a long thin tail behind her. None of those features looked like costume props.

Their attacker announced, "I thought I'd be able to get your Sailor Crystals without a fuss. Well, no matter. Sailor Iron Mouse will have them in the end, no matter how much you struggle."

Between how she was dressed and what she had said, Minako made the natural leap to assume that this strange woman was Sailor Iron Mouse. Moreover, based on that as well as what she had done, it was also natural to assume that she was an enemy with no small power. As such, Minako pulled out her henshin rod, raised it high, and shouted, "Venus Crystal Power, Make-up!"

The power of Venus enveloped Minako with the same euphoric intimateness it always did, embracing her and filling the void which she never remembered having when not transformed. It had a different flavor than it had had in the past when on the Moon, but it was still as warmly welcome as a family member who had returned home after years spent apart.

Haruka and Michiru must have come to a similar conclusions, because moments later she heard the two of them shout out "Uranus Star Power, Make-up!" and "Neptune Star Power, Make-up!" respectively.

As the lights around Sailor Venus faded, she had to fight down the impulse welling up inside of her to give a speech. Apparently, since their departure, somebody from the past had decided to embed that particular aspect into the Sailor Senshi magic, although for what reason she couldn't tell. She wasn't sure who had added that particular compulsion, but she really wanted to have some words with them and send them into some real-life combat situations.

Even more, she really wanted a sword. However, she didn't have her crystal one, and she didn't have the time needed to create one she could reliably use with her magic, what with an enemy being right in front of her. Then again, she also had two allies in this fight, and she couldn't really remember ever fighting beside either of them before, so it might not matter. In close combat, unlike with ranged combat, it would be much more likely that they would get in each other's way than to actually be able to coordinate an attack. If it had been Ami or Ranma beside her, she might have considered going to hand-to-hand fighting, despite being unarmed. As it was, it seemed like it would be ranged combat this time.

Minako kept her distance and splayed her fingers in the direction of her opponent. Before she realized it, she shouted out, "Radiant Sparkle!"

The shout hadn't been intended. Another silly impulse. She would need to talk to Ami about that at some point. However, for this attack against an enemy who already knew where she was, it wasn't the biggest deal.

Sailor Venus's attack was an extremely quick one, and it served as an excellent probe. The five beams of energy had a wide arcing pattern, and each beam only hit with enough force to knock over an ordinary man, and only if he was caught unaware and wasn't bracing himself. She didn't want to use any of her more serious attacks without first being sure the situation warranted it, and even then she preferred to have her opponent tagged with a Lover's Kiss first. Even better would have been if there was a hyperspace barrier set up, but seeing how Sailor Mercury wasn't here, that was impractical.

The most important features of her attack was that it only used one hand and that it was simple enough to execute that it allowed her to concentrate on other, more urgent things. Other things like pulling out her communicator and signaling the ongoing battle to the other Sailor Senshi. As she did so, Sailor Venus danced to the side to stay mobile and concurrently watched the result of her attack as she moved.

The beams split from where they had started and then converged on Sailor Iron Mouse. Her target crossed her arms in front of her and took the hit, being pushed back a meter or two but otherwise appearing unharmed. It wasn't too unexpected a result from the probe.

"Guided by the new era..." Sailor Uranus started announcing once she had completed her own transformation.

Sailor Venus really would need to have a talk to the two of them about timing and priorities at some point. Speaking of priorities, though, that talk would be better served when an unknown enemy wasn't a clear and present danger.

"What a weak attack," Sailor Iron Mouse said, ignoring Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune's speech in favor of the actually fighting Sailor Venus. "This is how it's done. Galactica Clutch!"

Sailor Venus was already moving before Sailor Iron Mouse had finished calling her attack. A giant cloud of something emerged and flew where Sailor Venus had been standing a second ago. She was long gone by that point, instead having jumped to the other side of the street.

"We don't have to fight, you know. What are you looking for? Maybe we can help," Sailor Venus called out. It was worth a shot. Negotiation had solved more than one confrontation in the past.

"... Neptune, appearing elegantly!" Sailor Neptune announced from the sidewalk on the other side of the street from Sailor Venus, finally finishing the long introduction she and Sailor Uranus had started.

Sailor Venus would definitely need to have a talk about priorities at their next Sailor Senshi meeting. That, and the fact they had stood still as they had been delivering their speeches. It seemed that Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus had a relatively weak grasp on combat tactics. Mobility, cover, accuracy, and positional awareness were essential for ranged combat. Standing still in plain sight while announcing your position was just foolish.

"You're right, we don't. Just give me your Sailor Crystals. I promise to make your death painless," Sailor Iron Mouse said.

"World," Sailor Uranus shouted out. She had her arm above her head, and a ringed sphere of magic hovered in the palm of her hand. "Shaking!" Sailor Uranus finished, pointing her arm at the woman.

The attack flew towards Sailor Iron Mouse, who dodged to the side. The orb continued on its flight path, creating a substantial crater in the road some distance away, and causing Sailor Venus to internally wince. Collateral damage, while unavoidable at times, was not a good thing. An attack which missed could easily ruin a life, by destroying a business or a home, or by outright killing a bystander. In this case, the road was now ruined and would need repairs before traffic would be able to use it again. Avoiding collateral damage like this was one of the reasons she preferred weaker attacks early in a fight until more drastic measures were proven necessary.

Sailor Iron Mouse said, "That's also weak. Could it be you haven't unlocked the true potential of your Sailor Crystals yet? Lucky!"

Sailor Venus had no interest in listening to her opponent rant. If she wanted to talk, Sailor Venus would be more than willing to take advantage. She sprang up against the wall to her side and pushed off horizontally through the air in a path perpendicular relative to Sailor Iron Mouse. As she flew, she unleashed a Blinding Curtain, suppressing her impulse to shout it out.

This attack cast a massive flash of directed light, with the intent of suppressing or disabling its target. The surprise, and thus the effectiveness, of the blinding attack would be mitigated to a large degree by calling it out. It was a support maneuver, not a damage dealer, in many ways like Sailor Mercury's Sabao Spray. For that matter, it would have been convenient if Sailor Mercury was around as well. The glare the Sabao Spray would have added to the attack would have made it much more effective, in addition to the visibility impairment Sailor Mercury's attack did on its own.

Sailor Iron Mouse gave out a shout and reflexively put a hand in front of her eyes. Much too late, of course.

Sailor Venus was already preparing her follow-up as she continued through the air. Once she touched the ground, she pointed out her arm and silently cast a Love-Me Chain towards the now hopefully blind Sailor Iron Mouse. With any luck, she would be able to subdue her and figure out what to do next.

"Deep Submerge!" Sailor Neptune shouted out from where she stood, in the same place where she and Sailor Uranus had begun the fight.

Sailor Iron Mouse jumped away from the two attacks now streaking towards her, in a direction vaguely towards Sailor Venus.

Sailor Venus silently swore, dropping the Love-Me Chain attack. Instead she changed tack, jumping forwards to intercept Sailor Iron Mouse. It wasn't ideal, but this was as good an opportunity as any, and if she didn't do this now, it would only get more risky as time went by. From her experience, she knew the blinding effect of her attack would mostly fade in at most a minute, and she had no desire to try this maneuver against a fully-sighted opponent if she could help it.

She approached as quickly as her enhanced speed allowed. Time seem to slow as she closed. She was a leg length away, then an arm length, and suddenly she was close enough. She reached out with her index finger, and tapped Sailor Iron Mouse while casting a Lover's Kiss.

Goal accomplished, she piked her body, letting her trajectory carry her over Sailor Iron Mouse. She performed a flip, twisting herself as she fell so she never lost sight of her target, and gracefully landed on her feet.

"That attack was even weaker than theirs. I barely felt that," Sailor Iron Mouse announced, squinting towards Sailor Venus. "Let me show you how it's done. Galactica Spike!"

Sailor Venus dodged to the left. A spear of magic lanced towards where she had been standing, and started veering away from her. Apparently Sailor Iron Mouse was using some form of magic which was reactive to her Lover's Kiss as well. The attractive force of the magical beacon she had planted wouldn't be enough to fully pull the attack back to its caster, but it was enough to foul its aim. The partially controlled attack flew outward and landed against another wall, cratering it. The building was still standing, but its structural integrity would need to be checked at some point.

"World Shaking!" Sailor Uranus called out again, sending out another attack. Sailor Iron Mouse tried to dodge away again, but aided by the earlier planted Lover's Kiss, the attack flew true. It landed on the target and knocked her back several meters. While it looked painful, Sailor Iron Mouse didn't look injured as such.

"Like I said, weak," Sailor Iron Mouse taunted again.

"You won't win here. You're outnumbered, we have reinforcements on the way, and I haven't even started using any of my big attacks yet. Give up. We don't need to fight. Maybe we can find a way to help you," Sailor Venus tried negotiating again.

"No. If I can't obtain a Sailor Crystal, I'm as good as dead anyway," Sailor Iron Mouse said. She pointed both of her arms forward and started shouting, "Galactica..."

Sailor Venus's intuition screamed at her. Something big was happening. Something she needed to stop. The time for gentle escalation was over. Without waiting to see what Sailor Iron Mouse's attack was, Sailor Venus closed her eyes and clapped her hands high above her head, casting the largest attack she had that could be performed even reasonably quickly.

The attack was fast, not in the least because it was un-aimable. The force of magic shoved her hands apart from where they had briefly made contact, and, despite the fact she cast it high above her head to minimize her own exposure, she could feel the substantial effects of the attack. However, almost as if there was a giant lens directing the flow of magic, the Lover's Kiss attracted the vast majority of the effect, curving it so it was focused like a bank of spotlights on Sailor Iron Mouse.

"Nondirectional Laser!" Sailor Venus shouted out. Oddly, by the time she felt the impulse to do so, the attack was already almost finished, so she didn't bother trying to suppress it. In fact, she felt a bit of pride at the particular name she shouted. Ami had wanted to call it something else, like Star Flare or Nova Burst, claiming that Nondirectional Laser was an oxymoron. However, it was her attack, and she liked the name she had given for it.

The massive outburst of magic interrupted whatever attack Sailor Iron Mouse was trying to perform. Once the effect of the Nondirectional Laser had reduced enough to be able to see again, Sailor Iron Mouse was gone. The only thing left was a single bracelet, which fell to the ground with a light ping.

Sailor Venus rubbed her stinging hands against her equally sore arms, trying to soothe both of them a bit. That attack always hurt to use, even when she had the opportunity to plant a Lover's Kiss first. As she did so, she walked over to the bracelet, now lying on the ground. That it had survived the Nondirectional Laser attack focused by a Lover's Kiss spoke volumes, and she was sure Ami would love to get her hands on it for analysis. However, before she could touch it, it disappeared in a poof.

To the side, Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus were still rapidly blinking and rubbing their eyes. Apparently they had been close enough that the non-focused part of the Nondirectional Laser had affected them, and they hadn't been fortunate enough to close their eyes. It should clear shortly, though. With the Lover's Kiss guiding the bulk of the attack, the brightness to the side wasn't even as bright as a Blinding Curtain, and she was sure Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus already could see past the spots in their eyes.

Sailor Venus took a quick survey of the damages. Overall it wasn't too bad. There was a building which would need addressing, and some major road work. Probably lots of questions and recriminations as well. She would need to figure out some way to help out.

Actually, that was a thought as well. Some kind of Sailor Senshi community support and outreach system. At some point, the Sailor Senshi would need to come out from the shadows if they were to be taken seriously, both by the government and by the general population. She was also certain that many people had many questions, and that many people would also be willing to provide help as well if given the chance. Not to mention frequently repairs and reparations were necessary in the aftermaths of their fights. It would definitely be a worthwhile use of her heretofore copious free time to try to get some organization in place.

Sailor Venus just knew that this encounter with this strange Sailor Iron Mouse was the start of something bigger, although she had no idea what that bigger thing might be. Almost certainly, though, there would be more fights before it was all over. This might be a good time to start engaging with the population at large, before things got worse.

She pushed that idea to the back of her mind for future consideration as she pulled out her communicator again to report to the others the events which had just transpired.

* * *

Ranma knocked on the door to Ami's home. Habit automatically had him straining his ears to gather any information he could. Who was in the building? Was anybody behind him? How would the person answer the door? All could be invaluable, depending on the circumstances, and it was good to keep in practice regardless.

The fact that Akane was currently visiting Hotaru, Michiru, and Haruka made the task easier than it otherwise could have been. Still, it was noticeably harder to glean any meaningful information here than on the Moon. The omnipresent sounds of Tokyo all around him drowned out the more subtle noises he otherwise would have been able to hear. That, and the distracting presence of Mamoru which always embraced him. He hoped one of these days that the unmistakable presence of his empathic sibling would fade to be routine, but he likewise hoped the warm glow of his presence would maintain its comforting novelty forever. In the meantime, it was slightly distracting, albeit in a good way.

At the thought of him, Ranma felt Mamoru's thoughts perk up in query, to which Ranma abated and apologized. Mamoru then returned to what he had been doing, undoubtedly spending some quality time with Usagi, and Ranma felt his presence return to the regular ever-present comfort it always was.

Despite the distractions, Ranma was fairly confident that Ami was alone as the door pulled open, revealing the woman he had come to meet. She still looked a bit out of sorts, but she didn't look to be in half as bad a shape as she had been the week after they had first returned to Tokyo.

One of the reasons for the visit was to exchange the various books Ranma had borrowed from the Mizuharo University library for Ami to read. Just locating these books had been difficult. He couldn't even understand the titles of most of the books, let alone their content. He had needed to get assistance from a librarian to even locate the strange, foreign tomes.

The other, more urgent, reason for the visit was to pick up the finished henshin rod that Ami had created for him. With the recent attack on Minako and the others, the need for the powers Sailor Terra granted him had become much more urgent.

Despite the fact that he was expected, he saw the look of confusion and lack of recognition on Ami's face. It was a face he was accustomed to seeing. In fact, it was a face he prided himself on inducing sometimes.

"Can I help..." Ami started saying, before the click of recognition appeared on her face. She shook her head and said, "Oh, Ranma-chan, I didn't recognize you for a second. This is weird."

"How do you think I feel?" Ranma asked in return. It still felt strange, being male. Intellectually he knew that he, in his current incarnation, had been born male; but he had spent two lifetimes as a woman, and couldn't help but feel more natural in that form now. Everything just felt a bit strange as a man. The slightly off-balance feel his gait induced when he walked. The tone of voice he heard whenever he spoke. Pretty much everything was just slightly off.

"I can imagine," Ami said while opening the door further to let Ranma in. "My mother is still at the hospital. Can I get you anything to drink?"

He was tempted to ask for some water, not to drink but to transform, but chose not to do so. He still had his pledge, and a glass of hot water was not an unreasonable burden to fulfill his honor, no matter how uncomfortable and annoying it was.

From what he recalled when he had first fallen into Jusenkyo, it didn't take too long to grow accustomed to a different body. The sooner the male form became natural to him, the better, not in the least in case he ever had to fight without any cold water nearby.

"No, I'm fine," Ranma answered. He would be transforming into a woman soon enough anyway, for his upcoming meeting with Minako and their planned trip to visit that strange singer she had met. "Here, I brought your new books."

"Thanks," Ami said as she took the stack of books Ranma offered and placed them on a table next to another, similar stack. She tapped the second stack and said, "These are all ready to bring back. Don't forget to grab them on the way out."

Ranma glanced down at the book on the top of that stack. He couldn't read the foreign title, but it had a rather pretty picture of what appeared to be a colorful grid of lines in a curve. That suggested the book was either really simple or really complicated. Given it was Ami, and the fact that it hadn't been available in any library Ami had easy access to, Ranma suspected it was probably the latter. He half wanted to ask what it was about, but thought better of it. Last time he had asked, Ami had started talking about negative refraction, meta-materials, wavenumbers, and countless other terms Ranma still couldn't rightly even name, let alone understand.

"Here's a list of other ones too, next chance you get," Ami said, handing over a piece of paper.

"Sure thing. Will do," Ranma said, taking the paper covered with Japanese, English, and who knew what other languages. Based on past experience, it would take a fair bit of time with a librarian to even decipher the list, but it was a favor for Ami. She had helped him out more times in the past than he could count, and, more importantly, she was a friend.

"Thanks," Ami said. Then, changing the subject, she asked, "So, what's this I hear about you switching degrees?"

"Have you been listening to Minako-chan again?" Ranma asked, half in exasperation.

"Maybe," Ami said.

"You know Minako-chan. She's always exaggerating things," Ranma said.

"Yes, and you know Minako-chan too. She's always right in the end," Ami said.

"She's not always right," Ranma disagreed. Even as he said it, he could hear the retort in his head. Sure, and Jadeite was really just a friend. Smithsonite was really just a farmer who had exceptionally bad luck raising animals. Rhodonite was really just a playboy philanthropist.

It was true that Minako wasn't always right, but she was right more often than not. That was the main reason that Ranma would be meeting her and Yaten later, after all. Apparently something about the singer had caught Minako's attention, and Ranma had long learned to pay heed to Minako's intuition. If she said something felt strange about the man, chances were that there was more going on than Yaten just being a successful celebrity musician.

If that same intuition was also saying that Ranma was going to change degrees then odds were good that he would end up doing just that, even if he hadn't actually made the choice to do so yet.

"Right," Ami said incredulously. "So, really, what's the deal?"

"It's nothing serious yet. I'm just thinking about it. Physical education is fine enough, but there's so much other stuff out there too. There's that acting thing I told you about before, but psychology and sociology sound like they might be interesting as well. Maybe some economics courses or something. I was even thinking that astrophysics might be fun. Who knows how many days we've all spent under the stars? It might be interesting to learn a bit more about them," Ranma said.

"That's quite the list. When were you thinking on finalizing the decision?" Ami asked.

"Not sure yet. There's that play coming up next week. I figure any decision I make should wait until then, at least, and then probably a week or two more to let things settle a bit," Ranma said. "Actually, that reminds me. Here's a ticket for the show."

Ranma pulled out a thick envelope, took one of the tickets from the stack inside it, and handed it over to Ami.

"I take it this means that you got the part?" Ami asked.

"So it would seem. Nao-sensei said nobody wanted to take such a visible and important role with only one week left to go until showtime," Ranma said with a shrug. He didn't see what the big deal was himself, but the others' reluctance meant that he got a chance to really try out this acting business and see what it was like. He wasn't one to question his good luck, much like he didn't curse his bad luck when it happened as well.

"What's with all those other tickets?" Ami asked, pointing to the large envelope.

"They're Minako-chan's idea. She thought to invite the other Sailor Senshi too. Some bonding experience or something," Ranma said. It was a good idea. Ranma just felt a bit bad that he hadn't thought of it himself.

"That sounds like a good idea," Ami said, agreeing with Ranma's assessment. "If you want, I can take them and give them to her at school tomorrow."

"No, that's okay. I'm scheduled to meet up with her later. There's this singer Minako-chan thinks is a bit strange, and she thought it'd be useful if he and I were to meet," Ranma said.

"Well, you know Minako-chan," Ami said with a shrug of understanding.

Yes, he did. They both did.

"Well, with any luck you won't need it, but if you do, here's your henshin rod, as promised," Ami said, handing over the item in question.

"Thanks," Ranma said, taking the small rod, with its emblematic circle cut into four quadrants symbolizing Earth.

"It's a good thing I had managed to finish it earlier. I haven't had a chance to even think about it since that whole business with Sailor Iron Mouse," Ami said.

"Any news about that? I haven't heard any details, only that Minako-chan, Haruka-chan, and Michiru-chan were involved with some strange attack," Ranma said. Ranma would probably be able to learn something from Akane later, as most likely the topic would come up between Akane and Hotaru, Michiru, and Haruka. However, it didn't hurt to see what else he could learn from another source and another perspective.

"No, nothing," Ami said. "I've been searching through the archives ever since to see if I could find any reference to anything similar, but no luck. If the Moon Kingdom ever saw anything like her before, nobody saw fit to publish it in the official records."

"That wouldn't surprise me. Why don't I give it a try later? It's doubtful, but I might have access to a few things which aren't in the official files," Ranma suggested. They had probably removed his access to the main data store once he had disappeared, but oversights in bureaucracy did happen. That, and Serenity or somebody else might have intentionally left him access for some unknown reason as well.

"It's worth a shot. I'll find Minako-chan later and have her try too," Ami agreed. "The other thing is I asked Setsuna-chan to drop by as well. She might remember something which never made it into the records, or at least has a pointer about other places to check."

The naming of his daughter brought Ranma's breath up short. He asked, "She's coming here?"

"Who? Setsuna-chan? Yeah. She said she had some time, so I asked her to drop by," Ami said. "Why? Is that a problem?"

"Not really. It's just I haven't had a chance to talk to her since... well, you know," Ranma said. The announcement caused Ami's breath to catch in her throat.

"What? You mean you haven't spoken to her yet? Why haven't you? How could you just leave her like that?" Ami asked. Her voice rose at the end, edging towards an accusatory shout.

"It... it's difficult," Ranma tried to explain.

"Difficult? How is it difficult? You pick up the phone and push some numbers. It's not like me, who would need to break the temporal barrier and probably destroy reality," Ami said, now definitely accusatory.

"It's not like that," Ranma said, with a sigh. "Well, no, you're right. It is like that. But it's just weird, you know? I mean it's been so much time. For her. How am I supposed to talk to my daughter who is older than I am? She's changed so much. I don't even know what to call her anymore. Meioh-san? Setsuna-chan? Daughter?"

"If it makes you feel better, the same could be said for me," a familiar voice said from behind Ranma.

He spun on his feet as quickly as he could, but not as quickly as he would have liked to given his strange balance. Setsuna stood behind him. He hadn't even noticed her until she had said something. Ranma scowled to himself. Just how much had Setsuna heard?

"I didn't realize you'd be here. I should go. I can come by and visit later," Setsuna said, turning to leave.

"No, wait. You don't have to go," Ami said quickly. After a second or two, she prompted, "Isn't that right, Ranma-chan?"

This shook him out of his reverie, but Ranma still hesitated. He eventually managed to force himself to say, "That's right, you don't have to go... Setsuna... chan?"

Setsuna stared back, with a mixture of fear and hope dancing across her face. It was unschooled and open, harkening back to a much simpler time back on the Moon, when the biggest concern had been what dress to wear to the annual ball.

"You have something to tell her, isn't that right, Ranma-chan?" Ami asked. Her voice had the patient but leading tone of a teacher trying to get a student to say something.

"Yeah... that's right. I'm... I'm... that is to say..." Ranma said, still hesitantly. He knew what he wanted to say. Why was it so hard?

"I'm sorry," Ranma finally blurted out.

"What?" Setsuna asked back. It wasn't longing, or accusatory, or hopeful, or really containing any emotion. A simple question.

"I'm sorry," Ranma repeated. "For what we, for what I said before. You really are a great Sailor Senshi."

If Setsuna was trying to give the illusion of aloof impassiveness, the effect was entirely ruined by the tears falling down her face.

"I guess... I'm trying to say that I'm proud of you. I don't think I could have lasted as long as you have," Ranma said. "Forgive me?"

Setsuna's answer was as sudden as it was obvious. She lunged forward and enveloped Ranma in an enormous hug, crying as she did so. Ranma was only too happy to return it, a couple of tears forming in his eyes as well.

"I missed you, mother," Setsuna said between sobs. "I missed you so much."

Ranma only patted her back soothingly in return.

"I think I'll just go off and leave you two alone for a bit. We can talk about the attack later," Ami said, excusing herself as she quickly left the room.

"It's been so lonely for all these years, and then you were born, and I wanted to visit you, but I couldn't, and these past few years have been the worst, and I thought you hated me," Setsuna continued.

"No, I don't. Maybe for a bit, but then Ami-chan and I talked about it, and it wasn't fair," Ranma said. "You did everything you could, and more. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

The two held each other, making up for all the time they had spent apart, and each trying to let the other know how much they were loved by sheer force of will.

Eventually Ranma said, "I see you've gotten better over the years, developing your skills and all that. I didn't even notice when you sneaked up on me."

"It took me a thousand years of practice, but I finally managed to beat you at martial arts," Setsuna said with a laugh. "No, not really. I had actually just teleported in."

"Setsuna-chan," Ranma said, and then growled. "Meioh-san. Whatever. I meant what I said before, I really have no idea what I should call you anymore."

"It sounds like Minako-chan and Ami-chan have settled on Setsuna-chan, and if it makes sense for them, then it makes more sense for my own mother to do the same," Setsuna offered. "What about you? What should I call you? Saotome-san? Ranma-kun? Mother? Maybe father?"

"You can call me whatever you want," Ranma said back with a smile.

"Then I think I'd like to call you mother," Setsuna said with a small laugh, tears still coming down her face.

"That would be perfect, Setsuna-chan," Ranma said. It would definitely cause confusion, from strangers if nothing else, especially when Ranma was male. He could only imagine the awkwardness at Sailor Senshi meetings for a while as well. But Ranma didn't care about any of that. He had his daughter back, and that was all that mattered.

The two held each other for minutes, upon minutes, upon minutes. Ranma kept patting Setsuna's head, letting her cry away the countless years of sorrow.

After what could have been hours, Setsuna asked, wiping away the tears which still flowed from her eyes, "Could you tell me that story again, of the Legendary Prince Toma?"

"That story? You've heard it so many times before," Ranma asked. It had always been Setsuna's favorite story growing up.

"Yes, but not in thousands of years," Setsuna countered.

"Maybe, but you were probably there and saw what Toma did yourself," Ranma countered.

"I did," Setsuna admitted, "but I like your version better."

"Okay, fine," Ranma acceded. He secretly did enjoy telling the story to his daughter as well, even if knowing that she now knew the truth added extra pressure on him. He just hoped it wouldn't ruin the experience any for her.

"Well, many, many years ago, there was this prince. He was a foolish little prince, and he was looking for a princess to share his kingdom with..."

* * *

Author's Note:

Thus ends the story of the history of Sailor Pluto, the beginning of the Moon Kingdom, and the major players involved with those events.

In my opinion, that's been the main plot thread all along. I didn't describe it as such in the summary of this story due to spoilers.

Are there more stories which could be explored here? Of course.

What kind of place will Ami, Minako, and Ranma each make for themselves in 20th century Tokyo? How will the three of them interact with and influence the Sailor Senshi who had stayed behind? What happened in the Moon Kingdom once three of the central figures in their society had disappeared? What are the histories of the other kingdoms in the Silver Millennium? What will the relationship between Ranma and Akane end up being? What will Akane do with her powers as Saturn Knight? What will come of Michiru's Jusenkyo condition? Whatever happened to Happosai? What will happen in the meeting between Minako, Ranma, and Yaten? What are the implications of the lack of Super Sailor Senshi forms for most of the Sailor Senshi? How will the presence of Ranma and Akane, as well as the more experienced Ami and Minako, not to mention Mamoru, affect the upcoming events with The Three Lights and the circumstances they bring with them?

Could somebody write a story which addresses one or more of the questions above? Definitely. However, none of those are the plot thread of this story. For the moment, Ranma and Setsuna have made peace with each other, and all is right with the world.

It's been a lot of fun putting this piece together. It took a great deal of time and effort, but it's nice for me to finally bring some personal closure to one of the most notable abandoned fanfiction stories I've ever read. I'll probably periodically be going back and doing minor revisions and fixes to this story as they show up, so regardless of when you read this, I would still appreciate reviews, thoughts, and suggestions about ways to improve things. I'm going to avoid substantial changes to the story as compared to how it stands now, although I'm happy to hear any thoughts you might have about the plot or its implications, but typos are fair game to change in my opinion. So if you see any, please let me know.

Regardless, I hope you've enjoyed reading this as much as I've enjoyed writing it, and now have at least some semblance of a conclusion. Now if only somebody could do the same for "Tenchi and Ranma: Together Forever," and "The Clan," and "Permanent," and "Paragon," and "Vengeance and a Half," and "Eldritch Asylum," and...

* * *

Original Outline:

After much thought, I've decided to include the outline that I worked from in making this story. This is primarily so anybody who is interested can see what of my story L. Giroux intended, what I omitted, what I changed, what I expanded upon, and what I created entirely on my own.

I'm not completely sure I should post a verbatim copy of the outline, though, seeing how I didn't write it as such. This is much like how I'm not posting "Lines of Destiny" here as well, as the site administrators never responded to my inquiries about it. Instead, I've condensed the outline into a series of plot points which I can legitimately say I did write.

It should go without saying that this includes substantial spoilers for "Lines of Destiny - Destiny's Intersection." If you haven't read that yet and instead skipped straight here, it's up to you whether or not you want to continue. Consider yourself warned.

With that out of the way, the outline in list form continues below. Almost more than what is mentioned, I would suggest you pay particular attention to what is not touched upon in what follows.

1) The destruction of the Katsunishiki's package is the fuse which starts the upcoming fireworks.  
2) Secrets are revealed.  
3) Akane and Ranma drift apart due to Akane wanting to help the Sailor Senshi while Ranma has growing confusion about his identity.  
4) Tension between Mamoru and Ranma grows.  
5) Happosai, who wants to punish Ranma, makes a mistake and opens a portal to a demonic dimension.  
6) The Sailor Senshi are pressed hard to keep the demons, who are flooding in through the portal, at bay.  
7) The demons are akin to foot soldiers in that they aren't difficult to kill, but they are chaotic and sometimes devious.  
8) A small force comprised of Ami, Minako, Ranma, and Setsuna go investigate the portal. The others are needed to stay behind for the defense of Tokyo. The reason for this selection is that Ranma is the most potent force; Hotaru is stronger but her attacks are too big for a reconnaissance mission, and Akane is opposed to Hotaru going as well. Setsuna and Minako are the most combat experienced, with Minako's experience as Sailor V being notable. Ami goes because she's the reason for the whole trip, with the other three being escorts to protect her while she figures out a way to close the portal down.  
9) They investigate the portal and think that they may need to go to the other side of it to close it.  
10) This portal disrupts Setsuna's prediction talent and her access to the Gates of Time.  
11) Setsuna stays behind to guard the portal as the other three go through it, entering a world in the last stages of an apocalyptic fight. This world is not an alternative Earth; it is an entirely different world.  
12) Ami, Minako, and Ranma eventually take refuge in what appears to be a slightly modified but extremely powerful form of the Crystal Palace.  
13) They eventually discover that the palace is sentient, but it can only communicate with Sailor Terra, due to her psionic powers.  
14) The palace tells Sailor Terra that it is the last guardian of its world, and it will soon be destroyed by attacking enemy forces.  
15) Sailor Venus mentions how the castle resembles the one they saw in the future and the group wonders if there is a connection.  
16) Sailor Mercury [sic?] discovers that the palace is getting suicidal as it is supposed to have a symbiotic relationship with its inhabitants, who are all dead. This is like the "Tinman" episode from "Star Trek: The Next Generation."  
17) The enemy forces increase their attacks to breach the palace's defenses, with the objective being its power core, which provides nearly limitless energy. The core can be drained, but it recharges itself, and thus is limitless.  
18) The Sailor Senshi are unwilling to close the portal on their own, due to not having enough power and not being willing to let Sailor Saturn [sic?] sacrifice herself.  
19) The palace makes a deal with the Sailor Senshi. It will self-destruct, which will destabilize the portal. In return, it asks them to save the essence/life-force/soul of its last resident, its presence being the only reason the palace hasn't self-destructed yet.  
20) This essence is similar to a heart crystal, but can't survive outside the palace for long, so it needs one of the Sailor Senshi to take it within herself.  
21) The essence only trusts Sailor Terra, as she is the only one it can talk to.  
22) Sailor Terra accepts the essence within herself, with the thought that it's only an extra heart crystal to transport.  
23) The palace also gives Sailor Terra the source of its power as it is unwilling to allow it to fall into demonic hands. This is a large, foot-wide, gray crystal.  
24) As the Sailor Senshi leave the palace, the demons sense the power of the core, despite Sailor Terra having stored it in her subspace pocket, and attack.  
25) In an attempt to save them, the palace sacrifices its remaining energy to destabilize the portal as the Sailor Senshi enter it, trying to buy them some time.  
26) As the Sailor Senshi come back through the portal, it starts collapsing. Sailor Pluto, who at this point is no longer sure about the future, in a desperate move, uses a Chronos Typhoon to toss them to another time to prevent their death.  
27) Ami, Minako, and Ranma end up in the early days of the Moon Kingdom.  
28) In the past, Ami, Minako, and Ranma are not able to transform as their avatar relationships have not come into effect, making Ami and Minako relatively defenseless.  
29) They still have access to their subspace pockets, so Ami has access to her computer, and possibly Minako has access to the Commander's Sword [sic?].  
30) Ranma, Ami, and Minako end up preventing the assassination of the first Queen Serenity, who might be called Tranquility or some other name, at the hands of a rebel faction who don't want the Silver Millennium to happen.  
31) After Ranma has some trouble returning to male form, Ami discovers that Ranma is pregnant.  
32) Ami doesn't tell Ranma anything, as she is too scared of Ranma's reaction.  
33) Ami is sure that this pregnancy is the result of absorbing the heart crystal and a coincidence of timing.  
34) Serenity detects Ranma's pregnancy later and happily tells Ranma, who does not react well.  
35) Serenity is then told of Ranma's curse.  
36) Ami and Minako try to cheer up Ranma, much to her dismay.  
37) Ranma ends up giving birth after several, and possibly nearly suicidal, abortion attempts. These attempts were foiled by either Ami, Minako, or Serenity.  
38) Ranma doesn't suspect who she's given birth to, but Ami and Minako begin to have suspicions of the child's identity at this time.  
39) After the birth, Ranma's curse is partially frozen in female form.  
40) Ami, Minako, and Ranma eventually learn that Serenity is a powerful magic user. They ask her if she can send them back, seeing how Sailor Pluto doesn't seem to be around.  
41) Serenity, who is the Queen by this point, says that she may be able to but that her personal power level isn't high enough.  
42) Ranma offers the palace power core as assistance, compensation, and/or a bribe.  
43) Serenity accepts the power core, and it eventually becomes the Ginzuishou.  
44) Even with this added power, Serenity cannot send them back. It would require her to sacrifice herself, which Ami and Minako will not allow at any cost.  
45) Ami, Minako, and Ranma spend 12-14 years in the Moon Kingdom.  
46) Ranma reluctantly raises her daughter.  
47) Ami and Minako train under Ranma for a long time.  
48) Ami and Minako suggest the creation of a Senshi guard to Serenity, who implements the concept.  
49) Serenity summons the spirit of each world.  
50) Ranma's daughter is selected as the first Sailor Pluto, which confirms Ami's and Minako's fears.  
51) Ranma, by this point, is rather confused. She doesn't want to believe that her daughter is the same person who later betrays her, despite the evidence suggesting that that is the case.  
52) Not long after Ranma's daughter is nominated as Sailor Pluto, the older Sailor Pluto comes and gets them.  
53) Ami, Minako, and Ranma are very angry that she took so long. Sailor Pluto counters by asking if Ranma really wanted to go back to the present while pregnant.  
54) Ami, Minako, and Ranma learn that the Sailor Senshi have finally ended the demonic invasion, among other things. This will be detailed when the story gets to this point.  
55) Sailor Pluto takes them back to about a month after they disappeared, and youthens them back to their original appearances as compensation.  
56) Sailor Pluto fully unlocks Ranma's curse. She possibly offers Ranma a full flask of Nannichuan as compensation, bribe, and/or reward.  
57) Sailor Pluto tells them that the choice of whether or not to tell the other Sailor Senshi what really happened is up to them.  
58) Obviously, Ranma makes Ami and Minako swear they'll never reveal anything about her child.  
59) In Tokyo, Ami, Ranma, and especially Minako can't quite get back into their roles.  
60) Ami, Minako, and Ranma's behavior, plus the fact that Ami has somehow gotten good enough to beat Haruka in a fight, raises many questions.  
61) There is a final confrontation between Ranma and Setsuna, with details which have not been determined yet. Setsuna tries to reconcile with Ranma, but he is extremely angry at her and doesn't want to talk.  
62) The gist of all of this is that the "First" Sailor Pluto was an abused child. She wanted to find a way to remake her own childhood, so she'd have at least a normal childhood before becoming the loneliest being in the system. The idea would be to have some good memories when times go bad. Eventually, the First Sailor Pluto ends up dying in another dimension, which set the way for Ami, Minako, and Ranma to come to the Palace's rescue.

* * *

Last Updated: February 27, 2015


End file.
